Pleakley's Story
by Twilit Violet
Summary: An alien militia is bent on overthrowing the Galactic Federation, and Pleakley is an unwilling pawn in their scheme. Rated R for language, violence, and sexual situations. COMPLETE
1. PROLOGUE

Disclaimer: I do not own "Lilo & Stitch" or any of the characters therein.

PLEAKLEY'S STORY

PROLOGUE

Cold white moonlight crept silently across linen sheets, staining them with an eerie, bluish glow as it proceeded upward toward a single bloodshot eye, still open at this ungodly hour of the night. The eye belonged to Pleakley, an alien agent living in exile on the tiny backwater planet known as Ee-arth, or Earth, to its inhabitants. 

A steady breeze tinged with winter came in through the open window, causing the alien to shiver. Pulling the bed sheets up further over his broken body, Pleakley debated briefly over whether or not he should call someone in to close the window for him. After a moment he decided against it, knowing full well that it was he who had insisted on leaving the window open all night in the first place, and that it would be unfair to wake up Jumba or Nani just because he was freezing now like they had told him he would be.

A second thought came to mind, further pushing the desire to wake anyone up out of his head. He was cold, yes, and he was certain he would come down with pneumonia by morning, but then he wondered suddenly why he should even care. What was pneumonia compared to the tremendous pain he had already had to endure, both physically and emotionally? 

There he lay, in a human hospital bed, covered with bruises, burns and abrasions, suffering from blood loss and various stages of mental and emotional instability. Surely he was doomed to die of these wounds anyway; either doomed to die or doomed to survive in the living hell he had created for himself over the past month. So what was a little pneumonia on top of it all? Just another drop of tainted blood in his ocean, and maybe, God willing, a quicker release as well.

In his delusion, he smiled, accepting the option of death. He breathed deep the icy air, letting it expand his aching lungs almost to their bursting point. He coughed, feeling a cold coming on. A moment later he heard a faint creaking sound, followed by padded footsteps on the linoleum floor. He quickly closed his eye, pretending to sleep so that he would not have to talk to whomever had entered the room. The footsteps were light and quick, so he knew it had to be a human, and not the thick-footed Jumba or the scampering Stitch. 

The footsteps paused at the foot of the bed, and the soft, feminine sigh that followed told him that it was Nani. She made a second noise, one of her typical grunts of annoyance that made him cringe slightly. Still pretending to be asleep, Pleakley listened as she stepped over to the window and closed it, shutting the curtains as well. 

He heard Nani muttering to herself, something in her native Hawaiian, before stepping back toward the bed. He could sense her leaning over him, and he tried not to cringe visibly when he felt her body heat radiating toward his face. Gentle hands laid a warm cotton blanket over his trembling body before tucking him in with the utmost care. A lock of her long black hair brushed against his cheek, and he had to suppress the urge to push it away. 

Next thing he knew, he felt a cool hand on his forehead, obviously checking him for fever. He had expected that. What he didn't expect was for her to lean down and kiss him tenderly on the side of his face, then whisper something that would keep him up for the rest of the night, pondering the meaning of his pitiful existence: "You are ohana now, Pleakley, no matter what anyone else says. We'll always love you, too, no matter what. Ohana. Family. Forever." 


	2. The Beginning

Disclaimer: I do not own "Lilo & Stitch" or any of the characters therein.

CHAPTER ONE:  
THE BEGINNING

One month earlier:

It was a warm autumn afternoon, the breeze gentle and the leaves laying crisp on the ground, as two alien beings made their way up the hill toward the house that they shared with their new human family. Slung over his shoulder like a prize catch, Jumba carried a large burlap sack, dripping wet and full of unknown treasures from the sea. A short distance behind him, struggling with a similar load, was Pleakley, mumbling alien curses to himself as he attempted to drag a sack twice his size up the dirt road.

"Couldja wait up a minute, Jumba?!" he panted, trying to get a firmer grip on the bag. Jumba slowed only slightly, yelling back to his comrade without looking over his shoulder: "I told you this vas no picnic I vas going on. A day at the beach for _me _means research; collecting starfish, barnacles, seaweed, and vhat have you." "Yes, but you forget who's the Earth expert here," Pleakley replied. "_Someone's _got to make sure you don't tip the delicate balance of nature on this planet. I won't even go into all the damage you did to that tide pool, which, need I remind you, is an extremely delicate ecosystem!"

Pleakley shouted out these last words, exasperated at his friend's reckless conduct. Jumba laughed. "Earth expert! Hah! You don't even know a manatee from a man-of-war! That at least _I_ know. And don't vorry about the tide pool, my little tree-hugger. By this time tomorrow everything vill return to its natural place. Urchins are mobile, you know."

Pleakley growled slightly. "I know. You stuck one in my trunks, remember?"

Jumba glanced back at him, shrugging. "I told you I vanted to put it in your pocket until I could find my specimen jar. Couldn't you be a good sport and lend me some pocket space?" "Possibly," Pleakley nodded, "IF THESE TRUNKS _HAD_ ANY POCKETS!" Jumba sighed and shook his head, continuing up the road as Pleakley caught up to him and gave him a very nasty look. "If you're going to be sore for the rest of the night, then at least let me give you my special antibiotic ointment I concocted last veek. Is very soothing, and if you don't mind the small side effect of growing scales…"

"FORGET IT!" Pleakley shouted defiantly, dropping his bag and folding his arms across his chest. "Vhat? You don't like scales?" "NO! You see? THIS is what I'm talking about! You and your reckless research!" He grabbed the bottom of his bag and lifted it up, spilling the contents out all over the ground. Clams, mussels, starfish, seaweed, hermit crabs and barnacles writhed and squirmed in the bright sunlight.

"HEY!" Jumba shouted. "Vhat did you do that for?! I need those specimens!" He dropped his own bag and stood over Pleakley, trying to intimidate the smaller alien. "Yeah, you need _them _like you need a hysterectomy!" "VHAT?!!" "When we moved in with Nani and Lilo you swore you'd give up your research and experiments. You swore to the Grand Council woman, the entire Federation, and to Nani especially, because she doesn't want anything in her home that could endanger Lilo! And you broke that promise! If Nani finds out -"

"NOTHING," Jumba finished for him, "because she _von't_ find out. Got it?" Pleakley gulped, but tried not to show that he was intimidated. "Besides, I _did _keep my promise. There is nothing in her house that can endanger Lilo, or anyone else for that matter. Now come on. Help me pick up this mess." A minute later Jumba and Pleakley had managed to gather up most of the specimens and drop them back into the bag. A few small items, such as the hermit crabs, had managed to scuttle away to safety under some nearby bushes. 

"I guarantee you I am a changed man," Jumba was saying as they reached the top of the driveway. "The only research I am conducting these days is purely beneficial. You vill see. My latest experiments are for the betterment of living, not destruction and terrorism like my last six hundred and tventy-six! You vill be amazed at vhat the slightest alteration of variables can do to the overall experiment!"

On the front lawn, Pleakley dropped his bag and panted, rubbing his aching lower back. Jumba dropped his own bag next to Pleakley's and began to rummage through it for something. "I seem to have misplaced my rainbow anemone specimen. Let me see your bag. Perhaps I put it in there by mistake." Pleakley sprawled out on the grass, exhausted, while Jumba searched through their bags. 

"Is this what you're looking for?" a deep voice asked, startling the two. Jumba looked up from his search to see Cobra, ominous as ever in his usual "men in black" ensemble. In his massive hand he held a small jar, half filled with seawater and a brightly colored anemone. Jumba waddled up to him, extending his own hand to take the jar. "Ah, yes. I vas vondering vhere that vent. Thank you, Cobra." Instead of handing him the jar, Cobra held it up higher, out of his reach.

"You want to tell me what you were doing down at Kilhua Cove a half hour ago?" he demanded. Pleakley was back on his feet, ready to explain. "I told him not to go, and to leave all the sea dwellers alone, but he wouldn't listen. I only went with him to make sure he didn't do any serious damages. 'A tide pool is a very fragile ecosystem,' I told him, 'you have to treat it with the utmost -'" "Enough small talk," growled Cobra, growing impatient.

Jumba, far from allowing himself to be intimidated like his spineless cohort, put on a very dignified manner as he proceeded to explain his latest research. At the end of his story, Cobra informed him that it would not be wise to raid tide pools again anytime soon. Something very serious was taking place back on planet Turo, the home of the United Galactic Federation. This caught the two aliens' attention, and they inquired about it.

"Let's go inside," said Cobra, handing Jumba the specimen jar. "I need to tell Nani, Lilo and Stitch also, because it's going to affect everyone, even me, if we don't do something about it first." 


	3. Trouble on Turo

Disclaimer: I do not own "Lilo & Stitch" or any of the characters therein.

CHAPTER TWO

TROUBLE ON TURO

In the living room, a small group had gathered. Sitting on the couch were Lilo, Jumba and Pleakley, Lilo in the middle with Stitch sitting attentively in her lap. Nani sat on the arm of the couch next to Jumba, with David standing on her other side. Before them stood Cobra Bubbles, speaking in subdued tones to someone on the other end of the alien communiqué device in his hand.

His stone-like façade revealed little; his voice even less. The solemn atmosphere of the room was stifling; everyone shifted uncomfortably in their spots as they awaited the crucial news. After what seemed like hours, the conversation between Cobra and the Federation official finally appeared to be drawing to a close. 

"Yes, I will. I'll make sure he does. I won't let him out of my sight. Alright. Bye." With the push of a button, the transition was ended. Cobra sighed deeply, tucking the small communiqué device back into his black suit before turning to face the others. In the resounding silence, everyone leaned forward, anticipating the news he was about to impart. Behind his dark Ray-Bans, Cobra studied each one of them, the underling alien Pleakley his central focus, though no one could tell at whom in particular he was looking. "There is an underground movement on the rise in Federation space," he told them. "It's been building up its resources for years, making numerous attempts to overthrow the Federation and monopolize its territory. Its last attempt led to an intergalactic war that claimed the lives of millions before they were finally beaten down. Unfortunately, the Federation was unable to capture its most powerful figureheads, all of whom had gone under near the end of the war and have not resurfaced again… until now. The movement has a militia known as the Kaizaxx, and it is on the rise again, larger and more powerful than before. It has already seized the tiny planet of Nereth, in the Strangeand Galaxy, holding all of its inhabitants hostage until their first set of demands are met. The Federation Council is presently working out negotiations with them. It is suspected that their next target may be Earth."

In the silence that followed, a tangible feeling of foreboding began to grow. Cobra paused, allowing this startling information to sink in as he studied their varied reactions. Nani stared, wide-eyed, into space, seemingly lost, even as David reached out and put a hand on her shoulder, looking equally lost. Lilo, again in her own little world where she preferred to hide, hugged Stitch tightly until he began to wriggle and grunt uncomfortably in her arms. 

Jumba stared down at his massive hands where they rested on his knees, his two smaller eyes closed in deep thought. On the other end of the couch, Pleakley sat up straight and stone still, his singular eye by far the widest in the room as he stared blindly at the air in front of him. With his own keen eyes, Cobra was certain he could see a slight tic on the side of the alien's face, making lightning-quick movements with each twitch of his cheek. No one else appeared to notice just how disturbed their friend was by this news.

"There's more," Cobra continued, still watching Pleakley, his glare undetected behind his Ray-Bans. "The Kaizaxx are not known to target unregistered planets such as ours without a predetermined purpose. It is hardly worth their time and resources to do so, unless they know for sure there is something big to be gained by it. It has already been determined by the Council that there is indeed something here that they want, or, should I say, some_one._ This would not normally be a reason for concern for this planet, except that the Kaizaxx are notorious for going to extreme lengths in order to get what they want. And if that means annihilating an entire planet in order to obtain a single prisoner, then so be it."

Again a deafening silence followed, only to be broken by Nani, her voice small as she asked the biggest question of all. "But why? What, I mean who, could they possibly want here on Earth? And why go to such lengths to get that person?" Beside her, Jumba shifted uncomfortably, muttering something barely audible in his native tongue. Before Nani could voice her next thought, Lilo did it for her. "Are they after Jumba an' his 'speriments?" 

"No," Cobra said flatly. "Although he is by far the most controversial individual in this room, and already the target of intergalactic conspiracy, I can safely say that he is not the one they are after. Not by a long shot." Jumba glance up at him, looking surprised. "Heh. For once I am not responsible for destruction of civilized society. This I find hard to believe. There must a mistake been made."

"Then who?" Lilo persisted, leaning forward excitedly with Stitch now upside-down in her arms. "If they're not after Jumba, then who else could they possibly be after?" Cobra turned his head sharply, cracking his neck, before answering her question. He looked at Lilo for a moment, then at the one-eyed alien sitting next to her. Pleakley gulped, watching his own terrified reflection stare back at him from Cobra's black shades. "They're after Pleakley."

* * * *

Well, whaddaya think so far? How's the suspense treating you? This is my first fic, and I know there are some things about it that suck already, but hey, that's what reviews are for, right? I'm not too sure where I'm going with this (mostly I just make it up as I go along) but any suggestions that you the readers might have would be most welcome. Thanx a mill for all the kind reviews so far! I never thought I would entertain anyone other than myself with this story. Wow. (takes a bow)


	4. Why Pleakley?

Disclaimer: I do not own "Lilo & Stitch" or any of the characters therein.

CHAPTER THREE

WHY PLEAKLEY?

For the umpteenth time, a roaring silence filled the living room. All eyes were on Pleakley now, and this time they could not miss the look of utmost terror on his face. Every second felt prolonged as each of them waited awkwardly for someone to say something. Again, it was Lilo who brought them all out of their shock by voicing another question. "But why do they want Pleakley? He isn't nearly as crazy as Jumba, and he's not a criminal mastermind… is he?" Pleakley broke out of his daze to give her a suspicious sidelong glance. On her other side, Jumba mumbled, "I prefer the term 'evil genius,' thank you very much."

Stitch finally managed to squeeze out of her arms and jump down onto the floor, where he stood in front of Pleakley, his large black eyes full of questions and concern, something he did not often allow himself to show to the one-eyed alien. Even though Pleakley was one of his favorite 'victims' in his endless crusade for fun at other peoples' expense, the little experiment still had genuine heartfelt feelings for him, and he made this very apparent as he squeezed his stick-like friend with all four arms and said, "Don't worry, Stitch won't let nobody hurt his ohana!"

Pleakley gasped under Stitch's crushing embrace. When he finally let go, Pleakley, at a loss for words, patted him on the head, looking back up at Cobra. "You understand the procedure for this sort of thing, right?" Pleakley gulped hard and nodded, his voice tiny and frail as he uttered his reply: "C-classified?" Cobra nodded solemnly in return before turning to Lilo, whose mouth was wide open as she was about to ask another question. "Classified," he repeated, in a very somber voice that made the matter final. At this, Lilo's mouth closed and her face fell into one of her typical pouts as she crossed her arms and frowned at the floor. "No fair!" she muttered under her breath.

"As for the rest of you," Cobra continued, turning to address the others, "You are to go about your normal lives as if this conversation never took place, and, as far as anyone knows, it didn't. Jumba, you are not to accept any communications that are not of this world, do you understand? Transmissions from the Federation may be intercepted by the Kaizaxx, plus it is believed that there is a mole at work under the Council. If this is true, then we all need to be especially cautious."

"What about Pleakley?" asked David. "No offense, but isn't he kind of, I don't know, a walking invitation for danger as long he hangs around here? I mean, he's alright in _my_ book, but these Kaizaxx… didn't you say they'd stop at nothing to get what they want, even if it's just this ordinary little one-eyed dude?" Cobra regarded him for a moment before answering. "The Federation has agents monitoring every aspect of the Kaizaxx network. They'll know if there's any reason for us to be concerned. Presently the talk of targeting Earth does not sound yet like a definite plan. 

The Grand Council woman has sent orders for Pleakley to remain on Earth for the time being. Any open communication, to or from this planet, as well as arrivals and departures, are certain to be detected by the Kaizaxx. So for now, Stitch and Jumba are to keep a low profile, while Pleakley will be coming with me. The rest of you are to pretend that he doesn't exist, and to deny any knowledge of him or what you heard today. If there is cause for concern, the Council will let me know, and from there we'll move to plan B."

Stitch stopped cleaning his nostrils with his tongue just long enough to ask, "What's plan B?"

From behind his Ray-Bans, Cobra frowned down at the little blue alien. Stitch lifted his ears curiously. "What?" "Classified," Pleakley answered, shifting uncomfortably. "It's so classified even I don't know what it is!" he chuckled nervously, standing up to allow the sand that had seeped into his swim trunks to pour out onto the floor. He felt Nani's reproving glare for making a mess and added, "I'll just fetch a broom and dustpan and sweep this up. Heh!" He headed into the kitchen. Everyone watched him go, surprised at how calmly he seemed to be taking the news and wondering what an intergalactic militia could possibly want with the unremarkable little underdog.

"He's certainly handling this very well," Nani muttered, half to herself. "I would have expected him to - I don't know - flip out or something. I know _I_ would if I were in his shoes." Cobra nodded without taking his eyes off the kitchen door. "That's what worries me." Nani looked at him curiously. "What do you mean?" But just then Pleakley came back into the living room, carrying a dustpan. Kneeling on the floor, he began to shuffle the dustpan under the pile of sand, trying to pick it up like an egg with a spatula.

"Uh, Pleakley, you forgot the broom," Nani reminded him. He glanced up at her. "The broom? Oh, yes! How silly of me! I'll just - go and get it, then. Be right back!" Hauling the dustpan with him, he shuffled toward the kitchen again, leaving the others to puzzle over his mental stability. "That's what I mean," Cobra said heavily, and it was confirmed when Pleakley came back into the living room a second later with the broom, but not the dustpan. No one said anything this time as they watched him sweep up the sand into a neat little pile and then moved that pile around on the floor without a clue of what to do with it.

After a minute or two of watching him, Cobra stepped across the room and laid a firm hand on the alien's shoulder. "Gather your things, Pleakley. You're coming with me." Shocked out of his sweeping stupor, Pleakley dropped the broom in the middle of the floor and followed the former CIA's gesture toward the stairs. Up in the room he shared with Jumba, Pleakley sighed, leaning against the door until it closed under his weight. After a moment he let himself slide down to the floor, where he placed his head in his hands and shut his eye tight, remembering:

Red… Red light glaring at him between bars of pitch black… Shadows… Tall, twisted, monstrous shadows, followed by their equally tall, twisted and monstrous owners… Then pain… Pain beyond possibility, beyond endurance… Then nothing… Not even thought… Only an awareness of existence, with no meaning or emotion connected with it… Then sleep, sleep deeper than death, and with no return… Until the return of pain…

Alone in his room… alone with the memories of the monsters and the pain… a past he had wrestled long ago into the dark recesses of repression… Pleakley broke down on the floor and cried.


	5. Breaking Ohana

Disclaimer: I do not own "Lilo & Stitch" or any of the characters therein.

CHAPTER FOUR

BREAKING OHANA

When Pleakley reemerged from his room fifteen minutes later with a large suitcase in each hand, he found that everyone had migrated from the living room to the kitchen. Nani, David and Jumba were sitting at the table drinking lemonade while Mr. Bubbles remained standing. Stitch was curled into a ball and rolling around on the floor while Lilo sat in the corner, her back to the others as she appeared to be working on something secret.

Cobra, busy explaining the few precious details that were _not_ classified to the three at the table, didn't seem to notice when Pleakley came into the kitchen, or at least did not acknowledge him until he set his suitcases down with a resounding _clunk! _and cleared his throat for attention. Everyone turned to look at him then. "I'm ready," he announced, trying to sound as brave and as sure of himself as possible.

"What happened to your eye?" asked Nani. "It looks bloodshot." Pleakley hesitated before inventing an answer. "Oh, nothing… must be my, uh, allergies! Yes, that's it! Darn hay fever." He smiled nervously at her and sniffled for effect. Nani frowned slightly, apparently in disbelief. She knew he had been crying, and he knew that she knew, and was thankful that she did not press the matter further. Now was not the time for him to appear weak.

"Are you sure you're ready to go?" Cobra asked him. "Once you leave, you cannot come back for anything until the Federation gives its clearance to do so." Pleakley nodded firmly. Cobra nodded back. "Alright then. Let's go." As he turned to exit the kitchen, Lilo jumped up from her corner shouting "Wait! What about saying goodbye?" Cobra looked back at her, and the corner of his mouth tugged upward into a quick half-smile. "Of course," he said, nodding toward Pleakley, who took the hint and waddled toward Lilo, who jumped on him and nearly knocked him over. Nani got up from the table to pry her sister off of the suffocating alien. 

"Aye-aye-aye, Lilo, you hug him any harder and there won't be anything left for the rest of us to say goodbye to!" She kneeled down and pulled him close, though not nearly as close as her sister had. "You be careful, okay, Pleak? Keep your head down and… and take care of yourself, you got it?" she added, trying to sound threatening, but her voice cracked just then as she choked down a sob. She gave his antenna a fond stroke. "And stay out of trouble. You're supposed to be the good one in this madhouse, remember?"

Pleakley hugged her back, biting his lip to keep it from trembling, when suddenly he felt himself being seized roughly from behind. Jumba grabbed him up and enveloped him in his massive arms, giving him noogies and trying to tease him about his situation. When he finally dropped him back on his feet, he had no time to compose himself before Stitch jumped on him and licked his face like a big blue puppy. After Pleakley wiped his face off, David stooped to shake hands with him and to wish him luck.

Dazed and disoriented from all their goodbyes, Pleakley picked up his bags and, without even a backward glance, headed off out the door after Cobra.

* * * *

Okay… I know that was short and disappointing, but hey, I'm working on it. Hope you like it so far… lemme know whatcha think… yadda yadda yadda… and I'll try to bring y'all an exciting update ASAP! ^-^ Oh, and extra thanx to Cousinsarky for all his/her feedback!


	6. Absence

Disclaimer: I do not own "Lilo & Stitch" or any of the characters therein.

CHAPTER FIVE:

ABSENCE

For the rest of that day the household was silent. After a short while David went home and Nani went to work, leaving Lilo in Jumba's care. Stitch had gone out to the woods behind the house, apparently to be alone with his thoughts. Whenever he sought solitude, he could usually be found in the same small clearing where he had gone to wait for a family more than a year ago.

Jumba, unusually silent and subdued, went down to his lab - a large shed in the back yard which he had converted for his own deranged purposes. Some nights, when intense research or an exciting breakthrough caused him to forget the time, he slept there. Other times he, like his little experiment, just wanted to be alone, deeply immersed in his thoughts. Today was no exception. With the removal of Pleakley from his newfound family, and with the looming threat of the Kaizaxx in mind, Jumba had retreated into his lab, leaving Lilo in front of the TV to watch cartoons.

Lilo herself was also deep in thought; her blank expression as she stared unseeing at the TV screen was only a façade. She, like all the others, desperately wanted to know what the Kaizaxx wanted with Pleakley, but _un_like all the others, she also wondered what she might be able to do about it. This time, however, she could not see herself doing anything even remotely useful for Pleakley's sake. This, of course, frustrated her, for even though she was used to feeling alienated and alone, she was not used to feeling so completely helpless in a situation. That, and the fact that Pleakley was family, now torn away by the threat of a danger that she believed they should all face together, continued to gnaw at her for the rest of the night. 

* * * *

Several hours later Nani came home. Lilo, not wanting to face her sister for fear of having to carry on another meaningless conversation in Pleakley's absence, quickly slipped upstairs. On her way up, she could hear Nani hollering at Stitch for bringing home a live frog and letting it sit on the table while he tried to feed it peanut butter. Once upstairs, Lilo took a left and headed for Jumba and Pleakley's room. Without knocking she flung the door open, half expecting, for just a brief second, to find the one-eyed alien sitting on his bed playing solitaire or knitting himself a new shawl.

But of course the room was empty. Pleakley was gone, and so were most of his possessions. His side of the room was bare, a glaring contrast to Jumba's side, which always looked distinctly "lived in." Jumba himself was still down in his lab, and as late as it was getting, Lilo had the feeling that he would not be coming back up until morning. She didn't blame him from distancing himself from her and the others. She usually did the same thing herself during times like this, often distancing herself to the point of hurting her sister.

Tonight, however, there was adequate reason for her misery. Without turning the light on, Lilo closed the door to a crack, then followed the narrow beam of light from the hallway over to Pleakley's bed and climbed onto it. It was a narrow bed, a small twin-size no bigger than her own, and as she lay down on it, she could smell the rich floral scent of the fabric softener Pleakley loved. He used it unsparingly on everything, even clothing that wasn't his, whenever it was his turn to do the laundry. Somehow Nani's clothes in particular always came out smelling the strongest.

Lilo smiled, remembering how Stitch wasn't the only one to have a field day in the laundry room. She giggled to herself over the few times she had caught Pleakley rummaging through her sister's delicates for something that would flatter his matchstick body. She remembered, too, when he had crossed the line and started trying on _her_ clothes. At the time, it hadn't been all that funny, especially since her dresses fit him a lot better than any of Nani's clothes, which were comically oversized in comparison.

Then she remembered the time that she and Stitch had decided to give Pleakley a makeover. Sure, it had all been great fun, (for her and Stitch, anyways), and she had a lot of great pictures on her wall to show for it, but now that he was gone, it felt to Lilo as though part of that joy had also been stolen from her. A small emptiness was eating away at her insides, and as it bubbled up toward the surface, it began to take the form of tears. Rolling over on her stomach, she buried her face into his pillow and screamed.

* * * *

It was just after midnight when Jumba returned from his lab. He was weary, though not quite tired enough to sleep. His brain was still buzzing madly with thoughts of the Kaizaxx and their mysterious connection with his friend. When he entered his room, he saw a small lump curled under the blankets on Pleakley's bed, but his mind did not register what he was seeing. Subconsciously he thought it was his roommate, so he disregarded the snoring lump as he undressed for bed.

He had just gotten his pajamas on when something snapped in his head, and he realized that the sleeping form in the next bed could not possibly be Pleakley. Stomping across the room, he pulled the blankets back to find Lilo, fast asleep with her pudgy arms wrapped around a small book. He sighed and shook his head. He didn't have the heart to wake her. Instead, he pulled the blankets back up over her body and gently tucked her in. 

"Ah, Lilo. You miss him too, eh?" he whispered, smiling down at her. "I bet this very moment you are dreaming up a vay to help him." He reached down and fondly brushed a massive finger over her hair before turning to go to bed. "This time I hope you vill not leave your Uncle Jumba out. You try to take on far too much for a girl your size, even though I know you are more than capable of handling vhatever comes your vay. But you do not have to face the universe alone, and neither does Pleakley. Remember, ve are in this together." 


	7. The Morning After

Disclaimer: I do not own "Lilo and Stitch" or any of the characters therein.

CHAPTER SIX:

THE MORNING AFTER

The next morning, precisely at the crack of dawn, Nani knocked on Jumba's door. After a very long minute he answered it, looking frazzled and rather irritated at having to get up so early when he had been up so late the night before. "Do you not understand the physiological benefits of sleep?" he muttered, rubbing his two right eyes while glaring at Nani with the other two. "Most important one is, I don't get cranky vhen I get a full night's sleep." There was a slight growl in his voice. Nani growled back. "Well, maybe if you didn't stay up so late working down in that lab of yours, you wouldn't be so cranky when I come to wake you up!"

"I don't believe I ordered a vake-up call," Jumba replied, looking cross. "Now, vhat do you vant?" Here Nani became very serious. "I want to know where Lilo is. She's missing! I went to her room to wake her up for school and she wasn't there! Stitch is gone, too. Do you have any idea where they could be?" Jumba let out a huge yawn. "Of course! I know exactly where they are. Look -" he stepped aside, gesturing for Nani to come in. As she stepped over the threshold, she spotted her sister's dark mop of hair protruding from under the blankets on Pleakley's bed, and Stitch curled up at her feet like a cat. 

"She vas already sound asleep vhen I came in last night. Shortly after I vent to bed myself, Stitch came in and climbed into bed vith her," Jumba explained. Nani moved closer to the bed, looking sadly down at her little sister. She couldn't help thinking of Pleakley just then, and of the other time she had seen Lilo sleeping in his bed. It had been only a few months after they had rebuilt the house, and Lilo had been sick with the flu. One day she had felt particularly bad, a feeling made even worse by the fact that no one had wanted to go too near her for fear of catching the flu themselves. Even Stitch had avoided her.

As a last resort, she had decided to seek company in Pleakley, knowing full well that he was a pushover when it came to the pleading puppy-dog eyes she would sometimes flash him. Even though she was sick (and probably highly contagious), he just couldn't garner enough conviction to tell her to stay away from him. Pleakley had been alone in his room, writing something down in a little black book when she came in and curled up on his bed. When Nani brought her soup later on, she found them both fast asleep, Lilo snuggled against Pleakley, who held her securely in his arms. 

It had been one of the most heartwarming things she had ever seen. In spite of that, Pleakley ended up catching the flu anyway. Nani smiled at that, knowing that he knew he was bound to be infected, and knowing also that he hadn't really cared. What he _had _cared about was Lilo, and from that point on, underneath the yelling and the nagging and the tyrannical big-sister façade, Nani had developed a soft spot in her heart for the sensitive little alien.

As she looked upon Lilo now, she saw briefly the aura of hurt that had caused her little sister to crawl into Pleakley's bed, and the memories and emotions to which she must have fallen asleep. Sighing, she glanced over at Jumba, who was just climbing back into his own bed. Jumba looked back at her, bleary-eyed. "How much longer do you plan on standing there?" he demanded. "You can make yourself comfortable if you vant, just don't even think about climbing into bed vith _me_. I hadn't planned on hosting a sleepover, you know."

Nani smirked at him, then looked back at Lilo. "I'm trying to decide what to do about _her_," she told him, gesturing toward the other bed. "She has to go to school, but I just don't have the heart to wake her up." Jumba grumbled as he pulled his blankets up over himself. "Vell, don't vake her, then. She'll probably be very upset vith you if you do, and I vouldn't blame her." This not-so-subtle hint had no effect on Nani as she continued to stand in the center of the room staring at her sister's sleeping form.

"It's just that - with Pleakley gone - ohana breaking up - she always takes this sort of thing hard. You know how she gets at times. Always dwelling on something painful. Like when our parents passed away. But she has to learn to get on with her life. If I don't make sure she -" "Let her dvell, Nani," Jumba said, interrupting her. "Let her be alone vith herself, if only for one measly day." "But -" "Call the school and tell them she's sick, because, in a vay, she _is_." He rolled over to face the wall. "Just give her time to heal. And to figure out a vay to help Pleakley."

Nani looked at him sharply. "What?!" But Jumba didn't respond. "Lilo is _not _going to do anything! Cobra warned her not to." At this, Jumba snorted. "Ha! Do you really think she vill listen? I am only speaking of the inevitable. Little girl vill not stand by vhile alien terrorists hunt down her friend. You vait and see." 

* * * *

Well, whaddaya think so far? Sorry about another short chapter. I'm in a hurry to post as much as possible before I go on vacation. I'm leaving tomorrow (Sept. 30th) and I will be back in one week. I don't like to leave you all hanging, so that's why I'm not mentioning certain things in this chapter… oops! Guess I shouldn't have said that! Anywho, I should have plenty of good stuff for this fic when I return. Till then, aloha!!!


	8. Pleakley's Diary

Disclaimer: I do not own Lilo & Stitch or any of the characters therein.

CHAPTER SEVEN:  
PLEAKLEY'S DIARY

It was nearly ten o' clock in the morning by the time Lilo and Jumba came downstairs for breakfast. Clutched tightly in Lilo's arms, along with Scrump, was the same small book she had been found sleeping with earlier. This went unnoticed by Nani as she sat down at the kitchen table to lukewarm bacon, oatmeal and orange juice.

"I'd almost forgotten how tough it is to scrub these pots and pans, what with Pleakley being our self-appointed dishwasher and all." Nani mumbled, a little too loudly, into the silence. In the short time since their friend's departure, things had changed drastically in their household. Most notable of these changes was the silence… not that Pleakley was ever as loud or overbearing as Jumba or Stitch. True, he had his moments… nearly every waking hour of every day… whether he was blaming Stitch for some sort of minor chaos, reprimanding Jumba over his recklessness, or simply being his own frantic self… he had definitely added that final touch that made their odd little ohana unique and complete.

"Where's Stitch?" Lilo asked, trying to conceal the book as she bent over her oatmeal. "He must've gone out back to hawk up the saucer he swallowed," Nani answered distractedly. At their puzzled silence, she explained. 

"I accidentally made five breakfasts instead of four. I guess I forgot that Pleakley wasn't here. Anyway, Stitch took care of the problem by eating the extra meal. I think he got a little too excited and swallowed one of the plates. All I know is, one of them is missing, and Stitch wasn't looking too well when he went outside."

Jumba laughed loudly. "Six-two-six is like garbage disposal in sink. One little plate shouldn't have effect on him, even if he swallowed it whole. No, must have been your cooking." Nani glared at him sharply. 

"Of course, _I _have no reservation against your cooking vhatsoever!" he added. "Ex-wife's cooking, now that's completely different story! Six-two-six vould have come in handy on meatloaf night. Even Pleakley's meatloaf vas better than hers!"

Lilo, having finished her breakfast, was just excusing herself from the table when the little black book she had been carrying slipped out of her arms and landed on the floor with a muffled _THUMP. _Nani and Jumba both looked over at her, then down at the book. Lilo snatched it up, hoping they hadn't seen it, but it was too late. Jumba leaned forward in his chair, staring raptly at the alien writing on the front cover. "Say, Lilo, vhere did you get that book?" Lilo backed away slightly, in the direction of the living room. "What book?" she asked slyly, hiding it behind her back with Scrump, then looking back over her shoulder toward the living room, as if pondering an escape. 

"The one that you are hiding behind your back," Jumba said slowly as he stood up, towering over her. "The one vith the Turian symbols on it," he added, stepping closer, and causing Lilo to back into Nani, who had snuck up behind her to prevent her escape. "The same book I have seen in my room on countless occasions…" he bent over until he was face to face with her, "and it belongs to a certain little one-eyed one who is no longer vith us." At this, Lilo sighed, holding the book out in front of her for Jumba to see, but holding onto it tightly enough to let him know she wasn't about to part with it.

"I found it in his bed last night. Under the covers. He must have forgot it," she said sadly, opening it up and glancing at the alien letters scrawled on its pages. Jumba squinted his eyes at them. "Yes. I vould recognize that chaotic mess he calls handwriting anywhere!" "What does it say?" Lilo asked, turning the book over so that Jumba could read it. "Whatever it says, you probably shouldn't be reading it," Nani scolded. "I bet it's his diary, and people don't appreciate it when you read their most private thoughts!" she said that last part rather irritably, knowing how a certain little sister had enjoyed snooping through her own diary. 

"Well then you shouldn't right down that you think David has a cute little -" 

"One more word and you're sleeping with a brick pillowcase tonight!"

"But -"

"Alright, that's it, young lady!"

"I said 'but,' not 'butt!'"

"I don't care! You shouldn't go snooping around in other people's private lives! How would you like it if I read your diary?"

"Wouldn't bother me!" Lilo said happily. "I'm through with diaries anyway, since Stitch ate my last one. He's right, you know: _Bleeeaahh_!" she mimicked Stitch's remark, sticking her tongue out in disgust. "So if you really wanna read it, you're gonna hafta go ask Stitch where he -"

"AHA!" Jumba bellowed, scanning a page of the black book excitedly. "I think this book can tell us exactly vhat the Kaizaxx vant vith our little monocular friend. Vould you like me to read it to you?" 

Lilo opened her mouth to reply but Nani beat her to it. "Absolutely not! That's Pleakley's private journal. We have no right to read it!" Jumba grinned wickedly. 

"Not even vith a permission slip from Pleakley himself?"

Nani looked at him suspiciously. "What are you talking about?"

Jumba held up the book and pointed to the little pink post-it note stuck to the cover. In Pleakley's unmistakable attempt at English handwriting, it read: "This will explain everything."

"HEH-HEH! So, vhat do you say now, Nani?"

Lilo looked back and forth at the two of them, excited. "Well, what're we waiting for? We're finally gonna find out all this top-secret classified stuff!"

At the word 'classified,' a little alarm went off in Nani's head. "Oh, no. No. Lilo, remember what Mr. Bubbles said about this whole thing being classified?" at that moment, Stitch came in through the back door, the one that opened into the kitchen. The first thing he heard upon entering was Lilo shouting:

"But we're ohana! And that means nobody gets left behind or forgotten! And it also means that nothing can be classified when it comes to family! And Pleakley _is _family! No matter what! Right?"

The fierce determination in the little girl's eyes softened to a plea that would have made even the hard-boiled Jumba give in, had she been pleading with _him_. So of course Nani found herself agreeing with her sister: "Right. He _is_ family. No matter what. Go ahead and read it." 

"Yippyyyy!" Lilo cheered as she raced into the living room following Jumba, who sat down on the sofa with the diary in hand. Stitch rolled in after them. 

"Jebuka chii'vi?" he demanded, sitting on the floor before his creator. 

"Vhat, _this_?" Jumba asked, pointing at the book. "This is Pleakley's diary. Lilo found it in his bed. This vill explain everything about his connection vith the - HEY!" Jumba bellowed angrily as Stitch jumped up and grabbed the book out of his hand with his jaws, then proceeded to growl viciously and chew on it.

"NO!" Lilo bonked him on the nose with her pudgy fist, causing his jaws to spring open. The book fell out, riddled with teeth marks and saliva. "This isn't the bad kind of diary, Stitch," Lilo scolded him. "This one actually has important stuff in it. It shouldn't be boring at all!" 

"Yes," said Jumba, picking it up and wiping the drool off on his pants, "it should be very interesting. And if I know anything about Pleakley's social life, or lack thereof, there should be absolutely no mentioning of who's got the cutest, uh, such-and-such." He gave a sidelong smile at Nani. 

"What're we waiting for?" Lilo demanded, hopping up onto his lap. "Read it to me, Uncle Jumba!"


	9. Alone in the Universe

Disclaimer: I do not own Lilo & Stitch or any of the characters therein.

CHAPTER EIGHT:  
ALONE IN THE UNIVERSE

Hundreds of miles away, across an ocean, surrounded by security personnel and yet completely alone with himself, Pleakley sighed miserably under the weight of a heavy load on his heart. Why _now_ did the Kaizaxx have to threaten the Federation with their ever-increasing power? Why _now_ did they decide to come back for him? After all these years, why did they wait until _now? _Had it been the previous year, Pleakley might not have cared, because back then he had nothing. No friends, no family, no future. Nothing. They knew it… and he knew it. Could this just be a sick twist of fate bent on robbing him of all hope and happiness? With a life like his, one could only wonder what Divine Providence should have in store for its spineless little martyr.

Exhausted, yet too anxious to sleep, Pleakley yawned and rolled over on the small sofa, facing the screened window across the room. He got up, and went over to the rickety little desk to the right of the window and sat down. The room was a dull off-white, its walls bear save for cracks in the plaster and a few photographs Pleakley had taken with him, all pinned up over the desk. There were five pictures, all of his ohana. All were candid shots taken by either Lilo or Stitch, catching its subjects completely off-guard. 

One featured Jumba dressed in a shabby white lab coat, sitting on a stool and hunched over some sort of science project. Whatever it was had just exploded in his face, covering him with a slimy green goo. He was turned toward the camera, a mighty fist raised threateningly in the air in front of him as his gaping mouth shouted incomprehensible alien curses at the photographer. Most likely it had been Stitch.

Another picture showed Pleakley and Lilo together. Both were wearing such ridiculous getups that one might suspect them of playing dress-up at the time, but that wasn't exactly the case. Both were actually trying to decide what to wear to a New Year's Eve party, and they just hadn't bothered to remove some items before trying others on. Pleakley was wearing his favorite black wig, along with a glittery tiara, and at least three layers of dresses, including a red sequined evening gown, an exotic zebra-striped dress, and green and violet Hawaiian flowered dress. Over all this he wore a black feathered boa, a pink silk scarf, an imitation pearl necklace, and a silver fox fur shoulder wrap. On each foot he had on a different-colored high-heel; one black, one red, and one purple. Lilo simply had on a very frilly pink and baby blue dress - something a flower girl might wear - along with a flower wreath on her head and matching lei around her neck. Both stood before a mirror admiring themselves and laughing at each other.

A third picture simply showed Stitch coming down from a coffee high - sleeping on his back on top of the TV, dripping tongue hanging limply out of a toothy mouth, one arm hanging over the side in front of the screen so that you couldn't make out what was on that day.

The fourth picture was of Nani, getting up an hour before dawn to arrive early on the first day of her new job - one that lasted only two weeks. She was holding a cup of coffee, looking bleary-eyed, her hair looking as though it had just been through a hurricane.

Last but not least, the fifth picture - Pleakley's favorite. This one showed the five of them: Jumba, Stitch, Lilo, Nani, and himself, all laughing gaily on the beach, just as the incoming tide soaked them all up to their knees. Even when they tried posing for a picture, something always went wrong. Well, not _wrong_, necessarily. At least they were all happy in this one, laughing at themselves and at each other as the small wave hit them.

Pleakley sighed again, even more miserable than before. It had only been three days since he had left Hawaii and gone with Cobra to an obscure little coastal town in central California. Only three days, but to him it had felt like three months. Why _now_ did he have to leave his only ohana, _now_ when he needed them the most? Though he knew their love was with him, he shuddered, fighting back the tears that had been flowing constantly for the past three days. He had never felt so alone in his life… so completely alone in the universe.

* * * *

Well, there you go! Hope y'all enjoyed it so far. Sorry it took me so freaking long to update. It's been a hectic couple of weeks, to say the least. However, I am confident that I can now give quicker updates to this story… but I ain't making any promises! Making a promise seems to jinx things for me.

Oh, yes, and Pleakley's now in California! Whaddaya think of that? As you can probably guess, I'm a California girl, all the way. As for Pleakley's exact whereabouts… I haven't decided yet, but I'm hoping to place him somewhere in my old home county on the coast: San Luis Obispo county. I doubt if there's anyone reading this who knows what I'm talking about, but my choices for exact town are: Morro Bay, San Luis Obispo, Cayucos, Cambria, or Harmony. If I don't get any suggestions in reviews, I'll pick someplace anyway. Peace out! ^_^


	10. The First Entry

CHAPTER NINE:  
THE FIRST ENTRY

Saturday, F141, Nembroe'uuh calendar 668.3 (About 9 Earth years ago)

Morale is low these days, though not so low that there is no hope for the Federation. As you know, the Kaizaxx have risen to power again, their most recent attempts at overthrowing the UGF (United Galactic Federation) have proven all but successful in the wake of that horrible war. I am, of course, speaking of the one which claimed tens of thousands of lives, Federation troop and civilian alike. That was nearly twenty cylerons ago, although the memory of it is still a fresh wound upon the hearts of many.

I, too, share in their pain, albeit very reluctantly, and only because I have had the misfortune of coming into contact with those monsters who call themselves the Kaizaxx myself. In fact, I have only very recently returned, thankfully in one piece, from what I hope to be my last rendezvous with their leaders. Actually, it has been nearly three weeks since my return, but it wasn't until today that I was able to steady my hand enough to write about it. And I probably shouldn't. Write about it, I mean. What good will it do me to remind myself of that unspeakable nightmare? What good will it do others to learn about it? Aside from my own mother, no one knows, and hopefully no one ever will. 

To reiterate, I don't know why I am writing this, but I can only hope that whoever reads this in the future will understand… and forgive me.

About twenty-eight cylerons ago (one and a half Earth years), I was hired by the Federation to investigate a matter of corruption among certain officials, who for safety's sake shall remain nameless. During the course of my investigation, I stumbled upon a web of conspiracy between the officials and the then-dormant Kaizaxx. It became apparent to me that they were plotting to dismember the Federation from the inside, and because the officials in question happened to be so highly regarded, my findings were rejected and I was demoted to UGF Civil Agent, 4th class.

With no tangible evidence in hand, and with no one else bothering to investigate the matter further, I decided, very foolishly, I might add, to pursue the matter myself. I won't go into details at this point, but with some stealth and the aid of the small handful of Federation agents who believed me (my mother, for one) I was able to infiltrate some of the conspirators' most imperative meetings. What I learned shocked me to the core. The Kaizaxx conspiracy to overthrow the Federation had been in planning for over seventy-seven cylerons (more than four Earth years)!

Their prime weapon was an unfinished project started by the Department of Intergalactic Defense, whose plans were stolen and then modified by the Kaizaxx. The weapon's capabilities are based on the closed-universe theory - the one which states that once all the energy of all the stars and galaxies in the universe dies out, the universe itself, which is always expanding outward from the Big Bang, will suddenly have reached its maximum expansion and will then snap like a rubber band back to its original starting point (the Big Bang), whereupon all matter will once again be contained in a space the size of a grain of dirt.

What this means is, their new weapon is theoretically capable of expanding and collapsing matter in concentrated areas. Whether or not they have worked it out that way is anyone's guess. _My_ guess is that they must not be able to choose controlled targets yet, or they would surely have used such a weapon in their last war. At present I would guess that any attempted use of the weapon on a planetary scale would likely have an adverse backfire effect that would include the Kaizaxx themselves in the collapsing matter.

Anyway, having finally accessed the proper evidence, I hacked into their computer system, and began to download information about the weapon onto my portable ZY drive. Unfortunately, the information contained far too many megabytes of input for my pathetic little portable system to hold, so I had to stop at only 15% download. _Fortunately, _though, it was just in time for me to make my escape before UGF security discovered me. 

The next week, however, I was called to a private hearing where I was accused by the conspirators of hacking into and damaging their system. With the rest of the Federation on their side, my testimony about the weapon meant nothing. The Council ordered me to turn it over to the conspirators, but I refused, telling them that unless they viewed it for themselves first, I would not cooperate with the real criminals. This, of course, only resulted in my suspension and arrest. I spent sixteen cylerons (nearly a year) in prison before my case was reexamined for my upcoming appeal.

During the appeal process, I was to be extradited to Turo, but along the way, the ship I was traveling in was accosted by a Kaizaxx ZMX cruiser, and I was taken into their custody. They demanded that I give them the ZY drive I had used to download the weapon information. It turned out that in downloading that input, I had removed it completely from their system (not something I had meant to do! I didn't even know it could be done with a ZY!). Although I had only retrieved a mere 15%, it was enough crucial information to leave them all hanging. It also turned out to be information which they had gathered from Federation files to begin with, and those files have now been placed under maximum security, so that not even the Kaizaxx or those corrupted officials can hack into them again.

This meant that I alone had the one crucial bit of information which they so desperately needed in order to complete their weapon, but of course, I wasn't about to give it to them. I would rather die a thousand deaths! Fortunately, I had hidden the ZY long before this first confrontation with the Kaizaxx, although I tried to convince them that I had destroyed it. Wrong thing to tell them. Whether they didn't believe me or were furious at me for 'destroying' that input, I don't know. All I know is, what came next is going to be a lot harder for me to write, let alone think about. That is why I am going to stop now, and continue with the rest of it tomorrow. - Pleakley

* * * *

Phew! What an update these last three chapters have been! I hope this keeps my loyal readers happy for at least a little while. Wow! I'm very impressed with myself! Anyway, before you nitpickers out there say anything in reviews, yes, I know all that technical stuff was sketchy and didn't make sense, but hey! I don't know one @#$%&!!! thing about computers and such. In fact, I'm surprised I made it this far! So please, bear with me here.


	11. Revelations

Disclaimer: I do not own Lilo & Stitch or any of the characters therein.

CHAPTER TEN:  
REVELATIONS

At the end of the first entry, Jumba sighed heavily. He looked around the room at the others; at Nani, who sat in the adjacent armchair, at Stitch, who sat on the rug before him with his ears perked curiously for more, and at Lilo, who sat on his lap holding Scrump. After a short silence Nani spoke up.

"So, this is why the Kaizaxx are after Pleakley? To get hold of some mass weapon information that he stole from them?" 

"It would appear so," Jumba grunted, turning back to the previous page and scanning it again. "But why he didn't just hand it over to the Federation Council is beyond my comprehending."

"But he already tried that and they didn't believe him," Lilo reminded him.

"Yes, but vhat he did not try was to feed it into the Federation's main system port and then trace it back to its original source."

"Meaning…?"

"Is simple tracking method. The main system port has a very powerful database for information retrieval. Vith the input he stole, system could have traced it back to its source, as vell as to all other related systems sharing it. This vould also show every single little modification of the input along the way. If he had just convinced them to trace it… it vould surely have identified the modifications made by the Kaizaxx."

A second silence settled over the room. Stitch began to grow restless. He curled up into a ball and began rolling around the living room until Nani told him to sit down on the couch. 

"Here, Stitch," Lilo called, "you can sit up here with me." She patted Jumba's knee invitingly. Stitch scampered up onto Jumba's other knee, sitting opposite from Lilo and staring raptly at the book, trying to make out the words from his angle.

"Abaa synh'eck chibuu gumly rii -"

"Hey! _I'm_ reading it to _you_, not other vay around," Jumba scolded.

Stitch dropped his ears in shame. "Sawwy," he said, with a great show of teeth.

"Alright, then," Jumba continued, "now, vhere were we? Ah, yes!" He flipped through the pages to the second entry. "_Sunday, F141, Nembroe'uuh calendar 669.9... _is fancy talk for mid-afternoon on eighth day of March," he explained. "Anyway…

…Once I had told the Kaizaxx leaders what I had done with their input, or what I had claimed to have done, they were furious with me, to say the least. One of them wanted to blast my head off with a plasma cannon, but was prevented from doing so by his commanding officer, who told him there was a better way of handling the situation. I knew then that _he_ knew I was lying, but I had absolutely no idea what he would do to get the truth out of me…

* * * * *Flashback* * * * *

__

I was escorted to a small detainment cell, and was left there for several hours before two of the guards came back for me. They brought me before their foremost leader, Le'Kruune, a tall, slender creature with a rusty complexion, no nose and two large, slitted black eyes. Two sets of long, forked horns grew from his bald head and his teeth looked razor sharp. Most of the Kaizaxx looked that way, though there were several others of various races in their group. Le'Kruune, as he was called, questioned me calmly about the stolen input.

"My second in command here has informed me that you have destroyed the ZY containing the missing information. Is that correct?"

"Yes, it is," I told him, with no hesitation. Le'Kruune smiled and nodded.

"If this is true, as you say it is, then why do you fear me?"

"Excuse me?"

"If said input no longer exists, why tremble so visibly before me? The galaxy is saved… we cannot possibly carry through with our plans to finish the matter collapser…" he began to pace back in forth in front of me. My guards stood firmly behind me, cannons raised, as if awaiting a signal from Le'Kruune before blasting me to oblivion like they so desperately wanted to. He stopped pacing then and looked down at me, grinning.

"Perhaps my reputation precedes me…I've been known to tear out a few jugulars in battle with my bare hands." He flexed his long, taloned fingers for effect. "Or perhaps… you do have something to hide after all. Yeeessssss. That's it. You tell me that you destroyed the ZY, just as you told the others. At least you are sticking to your story. That's a fine way to get someone to believe you, whether or not your story reeks with the stench of deception. Unfortunately," he leaned closer, bending over until we were face to face, "I don't believe a word of it. Never before have I smelled such a load of trog dung coming from one person. You lie, and your words gag me with their pungency." He stood up straight then and motioned to the guards. "Strap him to the table."

Before I could register what was happening, the two creatures standing behind me seized me by the arms and dragged me across the room to where a stainless steel rectangular block was rising up out of the floor. There were metal restraints arranged in various places on top of the 'table,' obviously to accommodate various alien anatomies. My heart began to race when I realized what they were going to do to me. The guards stripped my clothes off before hoisting me up onto the table and strapping me down.

When they were finished, all I could move was my head, not that that would do me any good. Trembling more than ever now, I awaited the inevitable. After a short silence, I heard Le'Kruune begin to pace again, just out of my line of vision. 

"If only your mother could see you now," he said. "How disappointed she would be. Her own son, a thief and a liar. For shame."

"No more disappointed than your_ mother should be!" I told him, feeling oddly brave at the sudden mention of mothers. "A murderer and a monster! That's what _you_ are! That's far worse than being a thief or a liar! What _I _did I did for a very good reason! And _my_ mother was behind me all the way!"_

At this, Le'Kruune just laughed. "That contemptuous little bitch? Of course, I should have realized…she would actually be very proud of you right now."

"Don't you EVER speak of my mother that way!" I shouted, fury overriding fear. "She's done great things for the Federation! And besides, you don't even know her!"

"Oh, I wouldn't say that," he replied coolly. "Oh, no, I know your mother VERY well. Very well indeed."

"Really? Funny, she's never mentioned you,_" I said bitterly. I didn't believe him for an instant._

"Well, I'm not surprised," he muttered, stepping up beside me so that I could finally see him. "I suppose if I were her_, I wouldn't want _my_ offspring to know the shameful details of my past, either."_

"What are you talking about?" I demanded, dreading what I was about to hear.

He leaned over me, grinning. His razor-like teeth glinted like the stainless steel to which I was still strapped. "Your mother is a whore," he said simply, grinning still wider.

"NO! THAT'S NOT TRUE! HOW DARE YOU CALL HER SUCH A TERRIBLE THING! YOU TAKE THAT BACK!!!"

"Alright. I'll take it back," he purred, "but that would just make a liar out of me. But I will take it back for her_ sake. I have to admit, the lady has charisma, but that doesn't change the fact that she is a cheap, filthy -"_

"SHUT UP!!!"

Before I knew what happened, Le'Kruune struck me hard. With the back of his hand. My head was spinning and I tasted blood. I choked, then turned my head sideways to allow the blood to drain out of my mouth. Satisfied, Le'Kruune began to circle the table, smiling pleasantly to himself.

"It was a long time ago, when I met your mother, Vay. Not long after you were born. Yes, I even remember meeting you. _I was a Councilman for the Federation at the time, and she was a Civil Agent, 5th class, I believe. Just starting out. As you know, 4th and 5th class Agents don't earn very much money, but a Councilman! Yes, I must admit, _my_ salary was more than favorable. I can recall very clearly the day your mother came to me to apply for a higher-paying rank, dredging out all the tiresome little things she had done to earn it. Unfortunately, her merits fell just short of a promotion, so I was forced to turn her down. I remember her disappointment… fighting back tears as she explained to me why she needed the promotion. She was in debt and on the verge of losing her only home and ship. And she had a baby that needed medical attention…" he stopped and leaned over me once again, grinning that hideous grin._

"An ailing little boy born prematurely and underdeveloped, in need of costly nutrients and hormone treatment, if she wanted him to live." Le'Kruune chuckled, as if my mother's sufferings were no more than a form of amusement to him. He continued. "Well, it may be hard for you to imagine, but I took pity on Vay, and I made her a very generous offer. I told her I would pay her handsomely in exchange for certain… favors_, if you get what I mean."_

All of a sudden I did_, and something deep inside me writhed. I felt nauseated from this terrible revelation, and I didn't want to hear any more of it. But Le'Kruune, it seemed, enjoyed inflicting this kind of torture on me, and so he continued his story, and I, still dizzy and throbbing from his first assault, wasn't about to tell him to shut up again. I should have passed out or vomited from all the disgusting little details he told me… all the horribly graphic images he painted, which would have been taken quite differently if only they hadn't depicted my own mother in them._

"Yes, she was an enticing young woman… even more so now_ than she was back then…I must have had my way with her about a dozen times before she finally got the guts to quit and start making money again the respectable way."_

I was fighting back tears by then, and when Le'Kruune noticed this, he laughed. "So your mother isn't quite the saint you thought she was, is she?" he said nastily. "Poor little Pleakley. The truth hurts, doesn't it? Just another one of life's lessons learned the hard way. Well, that was nothing, because lies _hurt even more, and that's the next lesson you're about to learn… the hard way."_

* * * *

Wow! Shocking? I have to admit, I shocked myself there, too. Leaves you hungry for more? I hope so. Please be kind in reviews, 'cuz I'm already whipping myself for writing this chapter!

__


	12. Pleakley's Demons

Disclaimer: I do not own Lilo and Stitch or any of the characters therein.

CHAPTER ELEVEN:

PLEAKLEY'S DEMONS

_Le'Kruune gave an order to his guards… something I couldn't understand because it was in another language. Whatever he had said seemed to have upset them, because they both exited the room grumbling angrily to themselves. As the infamous Kaizaxx leader grinned hungrily at me, I began to choke on my own fear._

"I know you did not destroy that input, Pleakley," he growled. "I can smell your lies like a fresh, steaming load of trog dung. You don't fool me. How dare you even try! On my edge of the universe, lies are ten times worse than those which your Federation types call 'war crimes.' They may seem brutal and merciless to you, but to us it is merely an honest extension of our hatred. Many of your very own Federation leaders are liars…they proceed to use diplomacy and justice when deep down inside most of them would much rather just rip the frigging heads off their adversaries. And yes, I believe many of them deserve that fate, yet all they get is a mere prison sentence or fine. But YOU -" he jabbed a clawed finger in my face, less than an inch from my eye and making me flinch, "You have the nerve to tell me your reasonings are justifiable and pure, and then you turn around and LIE!!!"

He screamed that last word in my face, his breath putrid with the smell of something dead and rotten. He quickly composed himself and started circling the table again. "If you were really the good citizen you claim to be, looking out for the welfare of your Federation, why not simply destroy the ZY input like you claimed to have done? Or, better yet, you could play mommy's brave little boy and admit that it still exists, but refuse under agony of death to ever breathe a word as to its whereabouts. What a noble choice that would have been. It certainly would have redeemed you in the eyes of the Federation. So, why take the coward's way out? What a big disappointment that would be to your mother, to find out that her son refuses to lie in the grave he's dug for himself, and who refuses to face up to the very person who reduced her to whoring herself out for a few measly bucks just to keep you alive!!!"

He stopped circling then, and stood on my left side, frowning down at me. "So you see, Pleakley, lies ARE painful. Not only do they hurt the receiver, they hurt the liar as well." From somewhere outside of my line of vision he produced a small, shapeless black object. He flicked a switch on the side of it, and I saw the blue spark of electricity that told me it was a tazer. "And now it's time for the test portion of your lesson." He leaned over me, grinning maliciously as he brought the shocking device up toward my face. "How much pain are you willing to endure before you break and surrender the truth?"

* * * *

When I awoke, I found myself still strapped to that stainless steel table in the middle of that empty room. Le'Kruune was gone, and it was dark. I had no idea how many hours had passed since I had passed out from the shock torture, but I knew it had been a few at least. I started struggling against my bonds. A faint whirring sound caught my attention, and I began to wonder if the room was under surveillance. That thought was confirmed when, a few moments later, Le'Kruune entered the room, turning the lights on. Once my eye adjusted to the light I looked about frantically for a camera, and sure enough, I spotted one in an obscure position above the door. Obviously Le'Kruune had been waiting for me to regain consciousness.

"Well!" he said pleasantly, smiling as warmly as an old friend. "That was a rather long nap, to say the least. I trust you are refreshed enough and ready for round two?" 

My heart gave a painful wrench at his words, and I couldn't stop a loud whimper from escaping my mouth.

"Good!" he replied cheerfully. "Very good!" 

Despite his intimidating appearance, he had a certain lilt and charm that would have fooled the Federation's foremost diplomats into believing he was a jolly, amiable individual, and not the head of a heartless terrorist group…and those diplomats were not easily fooled. He started circling the table again, something he obviously enjoyed, holding his chin in the air thoughtfully, that pleasant smile still in place. It looked as though he was trying to decide what kind of torture to use on me next. After a minute or two he stopped, this time on my right side, looking down at me almost pitifully.

"You know, I'm quite surprised that you didn't break under the tazer. In fact, you might say I'm shocked!_" he snickered at his own joke. "But seriously, a little zip-zap here and there is really nothing compared to what I could do to you with my bare hands." _

He flexed the fingers of his right hand, then drew them together into a fist. Before I could register that he punched me hard in the abdomen, knocking the wind out of me. It felt like something had exploded in my gut. Before I could catch my breath, he struck me again, this time square in the face. Burning red magma erupted in my brain, and my eye immediately began to swell. When I finally managed to open it, everything was red. My temples throbbed. Talk about a migraine! I was hardly aware of Le'Kruune's curses and demands as he swiped at me again, this time with his open hand. Inch long talons raked against my face and chest repeatedly, leaving a burning sting and steady flow of blood in their wake. And still I refused to talk.

Le'Kruune was huffing and puffing by the time he quit the attack. He even appeared to be sweating a little. He quickly regained composure and strode off toward the door. My head was spinning violently and my ears were ringing, but I made good to keep my focus on him. For one hope-filled moment I thought he was going to leave, but instead he stopped at the door and pressed a button on the panel beside it. He spoke foreign words into the communicator, and a muffled voice replied. Then he walked back along the wall to where a cushioned hover chair waited, and sat down on it. A few minutes later a guard came in, bearing a small, plain-looking box.

* * * *


	13. What's in the Box?

Disclaimer: I do not own Lilo and Stitch or any of the characters therein.

CHAPTER TWELVE:  
WHAT'S IN THE BOX?

_Le'Kruune took the box from the guard and dismissed him, then turned to me with a twisted smile that showed many teeth. He walked slowly back toward the table, holding the box out in front of him as if it contained a priceless treasure. He set the box down on my left side, then placed his hands on the lid, but did not open it. He began to drum his claws on it._

"Three guesses as to what is in this box," he told me, grinning wickedly. "If you guess correctly, you win!"

"Win what?" I demanded, knowing that it couldn't possibly be a good thing.

"Why, whatever is in the box, of course."

I rolled my eye. "Whatever it is, I'm sure I won't want it," I told him.

"Possibly not," he agreed, "either way, it shall soon belong to you."

I groaned, mostly from the fresh wave of pain from my wounds, but also because I dreaded the contents of that damned box. "I bet it's some sort of sick trophy of yours… probably the heart of your most recent victim, ripped out with your own murderous claws!" 

Le'Kruune laughed delightedly. "Close!" he said gleefully. "So close, and yet so far. You're right about one thing, though. It is something which I prize highly, but the internal organ of a victim, it is not. Guess again!"

I was in no mood to continue on with this pointless game. I knew I was going to find out what was in that box anyway. I was sure to guess wrong, and he was sure to open it, and show me the truth, and give it to me. I decided to humor him, and keep guessing, thinking that as long as I had him gloating over his box, he wouldn't feel the need to torture me physically for a while.

"Alright, then… is it another doomsday device?" I asked.

"Wrong again, my dear fellow. But don't give up! You still have one… more… guess," he hissed, making me shudder. 

All of a sudden I didn't want to play anymore. I was terrified that whatever was in that box was going to spring out and wreak dire havoc on my defenseless person. So I waited, for a very long minute, before coming up with my final answer. I didn't want to take too long, though, in case Le'Kruune lost his patience with me. I opened my swollen eye and glared at him determinedly.

"Your final guess, Pleakley, if you please. You're wasting valuable torture time, you know. Not for yourself, necessarily. I do have other prisoners to… interrogate."

"NOTHING!" I shouted, causing him to jump back. "There's nothing in that box! I don't know where you're going with this, but I have a feeling there's nothing in there but air! It's always nothing… nothing important, anyway."

"Wrong again!" Le'Kruune sang out triumphantly. "There IS something in this box, and it is very important. Look…" he lifted the lid up and tilted the box a little for me to see inside. There WAS something in there, but I couldn't make out what it was. He set the box back down and removed the lid. Then he reached in and pulled out a small, square picture frame. It was about five or six inches all the way around, and made of richly carved pewter. He looked down at it fondly before turning it over for me to see. What I saw made my blood run cold. I couldn't believe my eye! It was… my mother!

About twenty years younger, though today she looks much the same as she did then… she was smiling coyly at the camera, her long brown hair partly pulled back, the rest of it falling gracefully about her slim shoulders…I had to admit, she was quite beautiful… but what in the name of all things sacred was she wearing?!!

"Surprising woman, your mother!" Le'Kruune chuckled, obviously delighted by my shock. "Yes, I bought that exotic number for her and gave her a little extra incentive to wear it. It didn't take very much to convince her to pose for the picture, either. After all, you were sick, and she was desperate."

Le'Kruune looked at the picture again. The look on his face while he ogled my mother made my stomach churn. I turned my head the other way and shut my eye tight, fighting back the tears. It was no use. They flowed freely, stinging the bruised and swollen area surrounding my eye.

"Why?" I sobbed.

Le'Kruune broke his gaze from the photo and looked down at me.

"Why what?" he demanded, sounding annoyed.

"Why did you show me that? What was the point of it? Why are you torturing me for something I don't have? And why did you degrade my mother like that? WHY?!!"

"Must you always have the answers to everything life throws your way?" he asked, giving me a feigned look of sympathy. "My reasons are my own. I do not owe them to you, or to anyone else you speak of. As for your mother… Vay allowed herself to be degraded. She may have been a bit reluctant at first, but she accepted my offer, and everything that came with it: lust, money, and a fond farewell to self-respect."

"No," I whispered, feeling dizzy again. "You're wrong about one thing, Le'Kruune. My mother did not lose her self-respect. Never, in my entire life, has she ever appeared less than certain of herself, and never has she consented to be treated like an inferior, not even before the United Galactic Federation, to which she has made great contributions."

"Bravo!" Le'Kruune exclaimed, applauding. "Well said! Well said! Vay would be in tears by now, if she were here. What a loving son you are, sticking up for your mummy's honor like that. Yes. Perhaps you are worth all those steamy nights of passion and prostitution after all. Only a truly loving mother like yours could sell herself like that to keep her sickly little baby alive, even though that sickly little baby has grown up now to become nothing more than a sickly little 4th class Agent."

A red haze of anger fogged my vision at his words, but I fought hard to bite my tongues to keep myself from making another costly mistake. Le'Kruune was humming to himself, and when I was finally able to see straight, I saw that he was still looking at the picture, this time with a more serious expression. 

"It's been a long time, Vay," he mumbled, smiling fondly at my mother's picture as if it had been his own wife. "Too long," he concluded, then lowered the picture slowly back into the box before locking it up tight. He sighed sadly, looking down at the floor. After a moment of silence, he looked back at me, his face blank of expression.

"Your mother is a wonderful woman," he said firmly, as if I didn't already know this for a fact. "I regret that I ever called her such nasty words as 'bitch' and 'whore.' I admit she had her moments, but that smile! And those curves… well, of course I could forgive her for that messy attempt on my life." He chuckled, obviously reminiscing some 'magical night' when Mom had probably tried to stick a knife in his back. He picked up the box then, and turned toward the door.

"I wonder if I should call her up, just for old times' sake? I might even mention that her son is my guest of honor at the moment…and see if she's willing to make a little 'exchange' for his well-being. Yes. I think that would be perfect cause for a little 'family reunion.'" Ignoring my protests, Le'Kruune walked out the door and turned off the lights.

* * * *

Wow. Shame on me! And I bet you didn't know Pleakley's mom was such a hot item, eh? Neither did I, until I saw that one episode of Lilo and Stitch where the experiment named Spooky changed himself into Pleakley's worst fear: his mother. Personally, I hated that. They always make someone's mother out to be your stereotypical old granny type. My vision of Vay (my name choice for Pleakley's mother), even before that episode came out, was of a lovely, still-young-looking, courageous woman who is more the man of the family than Pleakley ever was, but still a sweet, loving mother who is not overbearing and not her son's worst fear. I like that image of her a lot better, and I hope you do, too, but I hope you don't hate her for what she did… she really had no other choice, and her son was sick… besides, what would YOU do in the name of love? ^-^


	14. A Mother's Love

Disclaimer: I do not own Lilo & Stitch or any of the characters therein.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN:  
A MOTHER'S LOVE

_Le'Kruune left me strapped to the table for the rest of the night. In the morning, however, he released me from my bonds and sent me back to my detainment cell. He gave my clothes back to me - a nice, clean suit I was wearing for my appeal - and told me to get cleaned up and make myself presentable for my mother's arrival. Whether he had actually made contact with her, I didn't know, but I was praying to God that he hadn't. I couldn't bear to have her come to my rescue again, not when the price of my survival meant the selling of her body to that monster._

I was fed gruel and tepid water, which I accepted. Later a physician of some sort came and looked me over, applying ointments and creams in an obvious attempt to downplay my wounds for Mother's sake. It didn't do much good, though. I was still a ghastly sight, and Le'Kruune knew it. He didn't seem too worried, though. Perhaps he thought that the worse-off I looked, the more my mother would be willing to give herself to him in order to protect me from further harm. Yes, that was it. Better to make the threat look real, not that it would have mattered how badly I'd been treated. I think Mother would have traded herself for me no matter what. Not that I was ungrateful; far from it. I just couldn't stand the thought of Le'Kruune touching her, let alone being within a hundred light-years of her.

It was late afternoon according to the simulated wake cycle onboard the Kaizaxx ship when an incoming transmission requested permission to dock. I was in my cell when the transmission was broadcasted over the intercom. When I heard the voice of the individual on the other end, my heart sank into my stomach. I recognized the voice as my mother's, and a fresh wave of tears threatened to erupt at that moment. Oh God, no!_ I thought when, several minutes later, I heard footsteps outside my cell, then the click of the lock, before the door opened. Sure enough, there stood Le'Kruune, resplendent in a gold-trimmed, shimmering black suit that boasted the muscular frame beneath it. Obviously he wanted to impress Mother._

"Well, don't just sit there, Pleakley!" he bellowed. "Come and greet your mother with me!"

He sounded so excited. A stranger would have thought that he was about to meet an old flame, one for which he still had strong affections. I wondered irritably why he had to be so pleasant all the time, and couldn't just learn to act like the monster he was. It didn't matter right now, anyway. Mom knew him for what he was, and she wasn't about to be won over by a pathetic show of charm. 

We headed down toward the docking bay, Le'Kruune and myself. It was the first time I had gone anywhere on his ship unescorted by monsters armed with plasma cannons. Le'Kruune didn't appear to be armed, but I didn't take his reputed strength and viciousness for granted. I simply walked along beside him, trying to still my rapidly beating heart for what was to come. We stopped by a small security station just outside of the docking bay. Le'Kruune spoke into the panel next to the door, and I heard a staticky reply. 

"I had security personnel bring Vay in for a strip search," he informed me with a perverted grin. "We can never be too careful about concealed weapons and the places in which one might hide them." He grinned still wider, showing his teeth. I felt like belting him one in the mouth. Mother barely sets foot aboard this ship and already she's being harassed and degraded! I didn't say anything, though. We waited outside the door of the security station for about a minute when I heard muffled cursing and struggling inside. Then there was the sound of gunfire… two shots, then a man's voice yelling in pain. Something crashed, then more curses. I distinctly heard Mother's voice, furious as she shouted profanities the likes of which I had never heard her utter before today. 

"Captain!" Le'Kruune shouted, pounding on the door, "What the hell is going on in there?" When no clear reply came (save the sound of continued cursing and struggling), Le'Kruune proceeded to open the door himself, punching in a code on the door panel, then having his palm scanned for identification. When the door finally opened, he and I both gasped simultaneously at the scene inside the station: Two guards, both Rapturian (the orange raptor-like alien guards in the movie), _and my mother, in the aftermath of a fight. Mother's clothes were torn and her hair was wild as she sat straddling the neck of one guard, twisting his arm back while the other guard lay unconscious across a control consol, his leg smoking from a plasma blast. _

"Oh, for crying out loud!" Le'Kruune shouted, stepping across the threshold. Mother saw him and jumped up immediately. The guard she had been beating rolled over onto his back, groaning. Le'Kruune looked down at him furiously.

"I ask you to do one little thing, and you can't even -" he trailed off, seeming to notice my mother for the first time. "Well, hello, Vay," he purred, extending a clawed hand. "It's been a long time."

"Not long enough," Mother replied, her voice quivering irritably.

"As stunning and voluptuous as ever," he continued, ignoring her anger. "I hope you won't judge my hospitality based on that of my men," he indicated the two guards. 

"Why shouldn't I?" she demanded, "when they were following YOUR orders! I'm quite surprised you didn't come down to do the strip search yourself, or at least supervise it."

Le'Kruune laughed. "I assume you did all this yourself? Unarmed?" He gestured again to the suffering guards. Mother didn't answer. "Then I will also assume that you're clean. I suppose I'll be finding out later anyway. There's only so many places you can conceal a weapon on that petite figure of yours." His words sounded wet with lust, and I imagined he was close to drooling. If only I had a weapon, even a primitive one like a zizzball stick, I wouldn't have hesitated to bludgeon him in the head with it.

"First thing's first," said Mother, sounding impatient. "Where is my son?"

Le'Kruune stepped aside so she could see me. When she did, she rushed forth to embrace me, and I met her halfway. 

"Oh, Wendy!" she sobbed, crushing me in her arms. "Oh, sweetie, are you okay? Did they hurt you?" She pulled back to look me in the eye, and gasped. For the first time she seemed to notice my wounds. My eye, still swollen and bloodshot, half my face purple, dark red gashes made by Le'Kruune's claws, and the tazer burns. She just stared at me for a long moment, unblinking. When she recovered, she frowned, turning slowly to face Le'Kruune.

"You…" she hissed, taking a step toward him. "You MONSTER!!!" She lunged on him. He flung an arm out, and she met it, and was repelled. She flew backward into me and knocked me down. Before either of us could get up, we were surrounded by guards.

"Escort these two to detainment cell D7," Le'Kruune instructed, and we were both hoisted up off our feet and dragged away.

D7 was a much larger cell than my previous one, with cozy bunk beds and a few other creature comforts. It fell just short of being labeled a guestroom, or at least a Motel Zixx. As soon as we were alone, Mother demanded to know what Le'Kruune had done to me, down to the tiniest detail. I told her I was tired and didn't feel like going into it right now, but her nagging was relentless. Even as I lay down to rest on the lower bunk bed, she had to sit right beside me on the same bed and examine all my wounds individually. She made sympathetic noises over each one repeatedly, and I knew she was just trying to guilt me into telling her, so finally I gave in, though I wasn't looking forward to her reaction. Sure enough, she gasped and cursed Le'Kruune for each and every wound I had received, and there were many. I told her everything… except for the terrible secret he had shared with me.

"Well, don't you worry, honey," she told me. "I've dealt with this man before. I'm sure I can talk him into releasing you. But don't think I'll let him get away with this!" 

Something strange took over me just then. I suddenly felt as if I were possessed by another facet of myself, a me that wasn't me at all. Just then I found myself asking Mother a question, though I felt like a bystander, watching and hearing myself as I asked it, and not in control of myself at all.

"How do you know Le'Kruune?" 

"Excuse me?"

"How do you know Le'Kruune?" I repeated. I already knew, but she didn't know that I knew, and I didn't know why I was asking. "You said you've… 'dealt' with him before. What happened? And when?" God, why was I doing this? It wasn't enough for Le'Kruune to humiliate her, but now I was doing it, too. I still don't know what came over me. I guess somehow I had to tell her that I knew her secret, and it was wrong of me not to give it back to her. So for some reason I found myself playing Twenty Questions as a means of beating around the bush. I could tell she was uncomfortable; she fidgeted with her torn clothes and didn't make eye contact with me.

"Oh, it was a long time ago," she sighed. "You were just a baby then, and Le'Kruune was an elite member of the Federation." When I failed to register surprise at this, Mother looked at me suspiciously. I told her quickly that I had heard that before, and she accepted it. When she did not elaborate, I asked her again about what happened between her and Le'Kruune.

"I'd rather not talk about it right now," she said tiredly. 

"Hey! I told you everything that happened to ME on this ship, even though I really didn't want to," I replied. "C'mon, Mom, you can tell me. I promise I won't be upset, or think of you any differently. Please."

She turned away then, sighing even more sadly than before. "Not now, Wendy. It's the last thing I want to talk about at this point, but I promise I'll tell you later."

That did it. I couldn't keep it from her any longer. I had to tell her the truth.

"That's okay, Mom. You don't have to tell me… I already know."

When she heard this, she turned around sharply to face me. "You - you do?" she squeaked, looking frightened. I nodded, casting my eye down at the bed sheets. I couldn't bear to see the look on her face just then. "Le'Kruune told me everything. How you needed money and -" I couldn't continue. The words caught in my throat and I choked on them. More tears were threatening to break loose, but I fought them. I had to be strong for my mother, and not let her know how much the revelation of her past had pained me to learn. I felt her arms around me again, and forced myself to look at her. She looked like she was about to cry, although she was doing a valiant job of fighting back the tears.

"Oh, Wendy, I'm so sorry you had to find out this way! I probably would have taken that horrible secret to the grave, and regretted it. I know I should have told you sooner, but -" 

"No, Mom, I'M sorry. I didn't have the right to know about that… and I'm sorry I made you do it."

"What are you talking about? You didn't make me do anything. I chose that option myself, because there was no other way."

"But you did it for ME!" I shouted, half furious with her _and half with myself. "You only did it because I was sick, and my food and medical bills were too high to pay for on a 5th class Civil Agent's salary! If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't have had to sell yourself to that - that - grinhapa kurrish'ta!"_

Mother gasped, startled by my word choice to describe Le'Kruune. "It wasn't your fault, Wendy," she insisted, looking angry again. "It was NEVER your fault. I did it because I love you, and if anyone's to blame for a mother loving her son that much, it's me. I knew I didn't have to do it, and I knew I would regret it for the rest of my life if I did, but none of it mattered because I loved you, and I wasn't about to let go of you." She hugged me close and kissed me on the forehead. "I still love you, more than ever, and I am NEVER going to let go… no matter what."

* * * *


	15. Shame and Champagne

I do not own "Lilo and Stitch" or any of the characters therein.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN:  
SHAME AND CHAMPAGNE

_Later on in the evening, Le'Kruune sent two of his officers down to escort us to his private quarters. There were two armed guards standing right outside his door, and when we were granted clearance, we went in alone. The officers who had escorted us remained at the threshold, peering into their commander's suite with a mixture of curiosity and fear before the door came down and cut off their view. The room was large and extravagant; fine silken tapestries hung from the walls, and the paneling looked to be solid gold. In one corner, to the right of the door, there appeared to be a mini-bar. There were two cushiony armchairs and one long sofa in the center of the room, and on the far wall were over a dozen screens, all of them black. Next to these screens there was a door, smaller than the previous one, and apparently the only other one in the room. I guessed that it led to Le'Kruune's sleeping quarters._

Le'Kruune was waiting for us, sitting regally in the armchair facing the door, although I did not notice him at first. I had been so stunned by the elegance of that monster's private suite, which glared in contrast to the rest of the ship. 

"Come! Sit down!" he said jovially. Mother and I hesitated. He gestured to the sofa, which sat at a right angle to his armchair. "Please, make yourself at home." Mother stepped forward, rather boldly, I thought, and sat down on the sofa. I followed, sitting on her right side, between her and Le'Kruune, who clicked a button on a small remote, causing a 'table' to rise up out of the floor in front of us. 

"Care for a little refreshment?" he asked cordially, getting up and heading over to the mini-bar. "Only the best for my guests. And from my own private stock, no less. Very expensive… well-aged… intoxicating… exotic bouquet… goodness, am I talking about the champagne or the lovely Vay?" He chuckled, giving my mother a wink as he uncorked a dark green bottle and proceeded to pour is bubbling pink contents into three tall wineglasses. I growled, fighting to control the urge to jump across the room, seize the champagne bottle, and bring it down over his thorny head. Mother must have heard me, because she placed her hand on mine and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"You'll have to forgive the mess," he said, carrying the drinks back to the table on a tray and setting them down. "It's not often I get the chance to entertain these days." I snorted out loud, looking around me once again at the picture-perfect room. Mother elbowed me in the side. Le'Kruune picked up a glass and handed it to her. To my surprise, she accepted it, then elbowed me again when he offered one to me. Taking the third glass, Le'Kruune held it up in front of him, ready to make a toast.

"To memories," he said loudly, "and to the people who make them worth remembering." He gave Mother a furtive look. "Cheers."

We raised our glasses, too, but did not clink them. Le'Kruune downed his drink in under ten seconds, yet he did it with an astounding amount of etiquette and grace. Mother took two quick sips, but the look on her face said she didn't particularly care for its dryness. I took one sip, and agreed. I decided I wasn't even going to pretend to be polite and drink it… I'd already suffered enough as it is. Instead, I just held onto the stem of the glass tightly, until my knuckles turned white, my thoughts returning now and then to what I would rather do with it. I sat mutely by my mother's side for several minutes while she conversed with Le'Kruune. He did most of the talking, all empty subjects like current events, meteorology, and politics. The usual icebreakers. Mother only responded when asked a direct question; I knew she wanted as little to do with the man as possible, and I didn't blame her.

"Say what you will, but you know the Federation has several major loopholes in its intergalactic defense policy!" I heard Le'Kruune saying. "I should know. I made a few of them myself! Of course, I hadn't intended to put them to good use like I'm doing now."

"Yeah, right," I mumbled, swirling my drink. "I bet you've been planning everything since the day they promoted you to the council! A fine piece of leadership, plotting to deteriorate the very government that granted your people immunity when you should have been ripped limb from limb like so many of your own victims!"

Mother gasped. "Wendy!"

"Well, it's true! I know a few things about his race, and one of them is, most are supportive of the Kaizaxx, if not in it for themselves, and they managed to avoid persecution for the formation of a militia by labeling it as a religious movement!"

"Political reform movement, to be exact," Le'Kruune corrected me. He gave me a pleasant smile that did not reach his eyes, and I realized he was only keeping his temper because of Mother. Apparently he didn't want to upset her anymore than she had already been. Suddenly I felt a lot braver.

"Go on, Pleakley," he nodded. "Tell me what you really think. I would appreciate some constructive criticism right now. All I get from my petty officers is a load of trog dung coated with overenthusiastic approval. Bunch of spineless yes-men if you ask me."

"Do you REALLY wanna know what I think?" I demanded, glaring at him threateningly. He simply smiled and awaited my opinion. I opened my mouth to utter something quite unfavorable when Mother interrupted me.

"Politics are too controversial," she said loudly, giving me a warning glance. "We could be up all night arguing about the ambiguous details of some provision in Article number who-gives-a-damn. It's not important. What IS important, though, are the issues at hand, such as, what the hell we're all doing here."

Le'Kruune smiled smugly at this. "You're quite right," he agreed. "Let's not bother ourselves getting bogged down in politics. I would gladly prefer to discuss the issues at hand and, as you so delicately put it, what the hell we're all doing here."

He stood up and started pacing. "Hmmm… what ARE we doing here?" he asked himself, casting occasional sideways glances in our direction. "Not much at the moment, it seems… we're moving our lips, but we're not really saying anything…nothing but meaningless banter…" he paused in front of the couch and looked down at us. No, he was looking at Mother.

"Tell me, Vay, how have the years been treating you? I hear you're quite the success now, decorated Federal Agent, first class and everything!"

"Yes," she replied, with no emotion.

"Excellent!" said Le'Kruune, beaming at her. "Most excellent indeed. So good to see that you've risen up out of the ashes of misfortune and gone on to shine like a nova! I'm very happy for you, my dear."

"Thanks," Mother replied sarcastically.

"I'm also glad to see that the years have been kind to your physical person as well." He looked her up and down with a lusty eye that made me writhe in anger. I wanted to maul him, break him, at the very least spit in his face and curse him for what he had done, to myself and to Mother especially, but I had no idea how far I would be able to push him before he fought back, regardless of my mother's presence. I decided to just ride it out… find out how far HE would go first, before I went the distance and did something unspeakable.

"Why, if I'm not mistaken, I would say that you are even more beautiful than the last time I saw you, and I should know. I still have some of those old photos of you."

"What?! You said you only had the one!" I yelled before I could stop myself. 

"I never said that," he replied calmly. "I only SHOWED you the one, because it was the only decent picture I had! If I had shown you the others you would have had a massive coronary and died right there."

"You showed him one of my pictures?" Mother exclaimed furiously.

"No worries, my dear. You were properly clothed in that one."

"Which one?" she demanded, her voice a blood-chilling growl.

"The one where you were wearing that cute little item I bought you. You know, the one with the lacy little -"

"Yes, yes, I know which one you're talking about. I just can't believe you showed it to my son!"

At this, Le'Kruune merely chuckled. "I merely used it to illustrate a point. You see, poor Pleakley here had trouble believing that you were anything less than a model mother. Once I showed it to him, he got wise to the truth and had to accept it for what it was. Life's full of hard lessons, Vay. You know this for a fact. I did you a favor by revealing your secrets to your son. You should actually be thanking me!"

Mother was livid. "You thurgabbah kurrish'ta!!!" she swore. I gasped. Even Le'Kruune was shocked. It was an insult at least three steps up from the one I had used earlier.

"You're so adorable when you're angry," he said, smiling fondly at her. "Just like that time you tried to assassinate me. That maniacal look on your face as you fired that plasma cannon at my chest…" he sighed dreamily, "at that moment, I swear I fell in love with you. Your passion to kill me could only heighten my desire for you, when most people would take that as a hint that their relationship is in jeopardy."

"There was never a relationship, Le'Kruune, not even a professional one!" Mother hissed.

"Please, there's no need to get upset. You're here to relax, so put your feet up and have a drink. You've hardly touched your champagne."

"I don't particularly care for champagne," Mother told him, setting her glass down on the table. "It's too dry."

"Of course," said Le'Kruune, "I should have realized… a sweet thing like you must only like sweet drinks. Unfortunately, I don't have anything of that particular persuasion in stock. I prefer hard liquor, myself."

"That's alright," Mother replied, crossing two legs and folding her hands in her lap. I was amazed at how professionally she was handling the situation… and there I was, ready to burst with each pass he made at her. I had finally set my drink down, too, even though I yearned to throw it in Le'Kruune's face. When he inquired about it, I told him the same thing, that it was too dry for my liking.

"Oh, well. More for me, I suppose." He picked up both glasses and gulped them down. A large amount dribbled down his chin and onto his shining black suit. He set the glasses back down and fished in his pocket for a handkerchief to mop it up.

"Dear me! What a mess I've made of myself! Why, you must think I'm a terrible slob!"

"Oh, no, not at all," my mother purred. "I think you're a trog-frigging, scum-sucking thurgabbah kurrish'ta! And that's just the polite word for what you are. But not a slob. No."

Le'Kruune laughed loudly. "You flatter me! You really are too much, Vay. Yes. You always know just what to say to get my engine revved up. Mm-hmmmm."

"Well, you can just turn your 'engine' off right now and forget it, 'cuz I'm not here to 'turn your crank' or 'stroke your plugs' or 'fire your pistons' or whatever the hell you call it now. I'm here for my son, and I'm not giving you a damn thing in return, except maybe a complete overhaul on your sorry ass! And not the good kind, either."

"Oooohhh, I LOVE it when you talk dirty like that!" Le'Kruune said excitedly. Mother rolled her eye and stood up. The top of her head came only as high as his belt, but she wasn't about to be intimidated by a little thing like height.

"I said you can forget it, Le'Kruune, and I mean it. I am NOT here to service you! You need to learn a thing or two about libido control," she told him, frowning up at him furiously. "And here's your first lesson!" In a blur of fists, she punched him in the groin. Le'Kruune roared in pain and fell to his knees. Shocked and terrified, I jumped up off the sofa and grabbed Mother by the arm.

"C'mon, Mom! Let's get out of here before he recovers!" I tried to pull her along with me, but she wouldn't budge. Not even an inch. She just stood there, firmly rooted to the spot as if she had been glued there, glaring down at Le'Kruune. 

"Mom!" I yelled. "Come ON! What are you waiting for?!!" But it was too late. Le'Kruune had recovered, and was already climbing to his feet. 


	16. Love and Lust

Disclaimer: I do not own Lilo & Stitch or any of the characters therein.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN:  
LOVE AND LUST

__

I couldn't believe my eye. I was astonished that he was able to recover so quickly. Mother was very strong, and I knew that she had hit him hard. Even a light hit would have had most men on their knees for at least a few minutes. Le'Kruune was up in under twenty seconds, and I was even more horrified to see that he was smiling. Mother seemed wholly unnerved by this. She continued to glare at him.

"You ought to know me better than that, Vay," Le'Kruune purred. He took a step forward, and Mother took a small step in retreat and met the couch. 

"All those wild nights back on Turo. Surely you remember? I even dared you to do that once, just to prove to you my tolerance for pain. And do you remember what happened?" He looked eagerly at her for an answer. When she didn't give one, he continued. 

"You did it. You actually did it. But not with your fist. No. You were wearing those damned gravity boots, and that still didn't faze me. You were horrified by my failure to react to the pain. You accused me of getting off on it; called me a masochist and a sociopath. Well, you were right, baby… I LOVE IT!!!" He laughed hideously. Mother's furious expression remained unchanged. She didn't even flinch when Le'Kruune bent over and whispered in her ear, quite loud enough for me to hear him: "And just think… later on tonight, when your little guy's asleep, we can abuse each other all night long, just like the good old days."

I had never had to try so hard to control myself from doing something drastic. I felt like biting his face off, while right beside me my mother, the bearer of this harassment, seemed to be accepting it without the slightest care. I managed to contain myself physically, but I wasn't able to stop the words from exploding from my mouth. "How can you let him talk to you like that?" I demanded of my mother. For a moment I was more angry at her than at him.

"Because she knows it is all in jest!" replied Le'Kruune, grinning happily at me. 

"I wasn't talking to YOU!" I shouted at him.

"Well, I wasn't talking to YOU, either," he retorted, standing up straight. "Really, you should know better than to eavesdrop on a private conversation."

"You were saying it right in front of me! And you weren't being too quiet about it, either."

"Well, if you don't like what you hear, then cover your ears and sing a happy song. Either way, please refrain from interrupting me."

"I'll interrupt you anytime I feel like it," I growled. "Especially when you're talking dirty to my mother!"

"Wendy, please!" Mother turned to me and frowned. "This is between Le'Kruune and myself. I can handle this a lot easier without your interrupting."

"But -"

"Your mother's right, Pleakley. Do be a good boy and play quietly in the corner while your mother and I… interface with each other."

I shook my head furiously. "I'm not leaving her side! I'm not even going to turn my back while you're in the same room with her. You can't be trusted."

Le'Kruune chuckled. "Your mother beat the hell out of two armed guards and tried to blast my jewels off with a plasma cannon and I'M the one not to be trusted? You really kill me!"

"If only," I muttered, "if only."

"Tell you what," he said, looking back and forth at the two of us. "I'll humor you a little. You say you won't turn your back on me? Well, I have a little something here that will ensure that never happens." He strolled over to the nearest wall and slid a long hand underneath the silk tapestry hanging down from the ceiling. I heard a faint click-click as though buttons were being pressed on a wall panel, and sure enough, the tapestry rolled up to reveal one, as well as a few other things that began to emerge out of the wall. I immediately recognized the metal restraints, and my heart jumped into my throat as I realized what he was going to do. He turned back to me and grinned.

"Yes, you see? You can't possibly turn your back on me when your back is up against a wall." I took a terrified step in retreat and backed into Mom. I turned and looked at her. For the first time that night, she actually looked shocked.

"You wouldn't dare!" she protested. Le'Kruune smiled devilishly.

"Oh, wouldn't I?" he asked. He looked back at me. "And don't bother to run. I have two heavily armed guards right outside this door who will be in here in a millisecond if I should call them. And this time I doubt even Vay can handle them, although I would love to see her try."

I didn't know what else to do, except run. So I did. Le'Kruune gave chase, and we bolted back and forth around the room for a few seconds before he gave up and called for his guards. The moment they came in, plasma cannons raised, I stopped, but did not come forward. I allowed them to drag me across the room to the restraint wall and strap me up against it. Then they left. The whole time Mother hadn't said a thing. Now she just stood there, staring at me, with my hands strapped up high over my head and my feet inches off the floor and also strapped. I hung my head in shame. I had failed to protect her and now… now she was going to have to surrender herself to save me again.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk." Le'Kruune walked up to me, shaking his head pitifully as he surveyed my immobilized form.

"Oh, dear, what a tragedy!" he moaned, eyes smiling maliciously at me. "Poor little Pleakley, in trouble again, and it looks like it could be life-threatening." He looked over his shoulder at Mother as he said this, but she just glared at him, apparently at a loss for words.

"I'm sure his mummy has something to say about this!" he teased, pinching my cheek hard with two clawed fingers and shaking it vigorously. I said nothing, even though it hurt, but just then Mother spoke up. "Stop it!" she shouted, stepping forward. Le'Kruune stopped and looked at her questioningly.

"Stop it? Is that all you have to say? Stop it?!! Oh no, my dear, that won't do at all. No. I want to hear you beg… beg me for mercy for your poor son, before you beg for mercy for yourself!"

"That won't work, Le'Kruune, because I'm not afraid of you. We made an agreement: you give me what I want, and I'll give you what YOU want. A fair exchange. But don't even bother to patronize me. I know where I stand."

"Alright, then! I'm glad to see we have an understanding here. Good choice, Vay. Good choice." Le'Kruune sounded delighted. He left me alone and walked over to my mother.

"NOOO!!!" I shouted. "MOM, YOU CAN'T LET HIM DO THIS! YOU CAN'T LET HIM WIN! PLEASE, DON'T DO IT!!!"

"An agreement has already been made, Wendy," she told me. "I never go back on my word."

"BUT MOM -"

"Enough! This is my business now, not yours." She looked up at Le'Kruune. Her expression was unreadable. He bent over then, and whispered something in her ear. I could not see her reaction because Le'Kruune's fat ugly head was in the way, but when he drew back, I caught a brief glimpse of her eye, widened with surprise, before he leaned toward her again. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close, kissing her passionately on the mouth. I screamed then, for the entire duration of that kiss, which lasted for a very long time. It seemed to transpire in slow motion , and all I could do was watch helplessly as that monster forced his tongue down my mother's throat.

I wanted to kill him. Now more than ever I wanted to KILL him. It no longer mattered the things he had done to ME. But for what he had done to my mother, what he was doing to her now, and what he was about to do to her… I wanted him to die, slowly and horribly, a thousand times over. I struggled hard against my bonds until the metal cut into my wrists and ankles. I felt no pain, though. I felt nothing; nothing but burning hot fury and hate. I cursed him as loudly and vehemently as possible, using every profanity I could think of as well as some I didn't even know I knew, and a few gibberish words that flew out of my mouth with all the force and fury of a curse. He ignored me, though, and that only made me seethe even worse. I felt warm blood pouring out of my newly opened wounds.

When he finally stopped and looked up at me, he sneered. "Perhaps we should continue this elsewhere… like in my private quarters. It's much too noisy out here, don't you think?" 

Mother didn't say anything. She didn't even look at me. She just stared at the floor and nodded in agreement. Le'Kruune kept one hand curled around her waist while the other one wandered up to her hair. He brushed his long, thin fingers through it, then brought them down and caressed her cheek. She looked up at him again, and I saw the passion in her eye, though I knew it wasn't for HIM. It was for me. She loved me enough to face this monster, and to let him have his way with her, brutally and without sympathy, just to save me from his wrath.

Without a single tear in her eye, Mother gave me one last look, pleading for my forgiveness, as Le'Kruune swept her up and carried her into his bedroom.


	17. Flirting With Danger

Disclaimer: I do not own Lilo & Stitch or any of the characters therein.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN:  
FLIRTING WITH DANGER

Vay lay quietly in the dark, listening to her thoughts and to the shallow breathing of Le'Kruune as he slept beside her. His thin lips held a smug smile as he dreamed about his latest conquest. The hour was late, very late. Vay was exhausted, yet her mind was too wired to allow her any sleep. The last several hours had been a feverish friction between two minds as well as two bodies. It had been a long time since she had let herself be taken like that. Her entire body was aching from the effort, and she knew it wasn't over yet. Le'Kruune had 'cordially invited' her to stay for the rest of the week, and by that he had meant that it wasn't an option. As long as Wendy was still held a prisoner on this ship, Vay would remain also, and she swore she would do whatever it took to free her son… and to avenge them both.

Her thoughts turned to Wendy then, and she sobbed silently. He was no longer strapped to the wall; Le'Kruune had called in a guard to remove him and escort him back to D7. He had also sent a physician down to tend to his new wounds. On top of all this, he had ordered a lavish feast prepared and had sent nearly half of it down to Wendy and had the rest brought up to his private quarters. Vay had no appetite. She picked at the food, only tasting it, but did not indulge herself like Le'Kruune. She had excused herself from dining with him and gone to lay back down on his bed, awaiting the inevitable.

Now, four or five rounds later, Le'Kruune was finally asleep, having worn himself out in a frenzy of passion. Seeing as he had done most of the work, Vay wasn't nearly as tired as he was, although the toll he had taken on her body in that short amount of time spoke otherwise. She did not take pity on herself, but she did not loathe herself for it either. She had only done what she had to, with no hesitation, because the life of her son was far more important to her than her own. Not that Le'Kruune had any intention of killing her. Far from it. She knew his lust for her was too great to allow any harm to befall her, and because of this, she was fairly certain that she could get away with murder and not have to suffer the consequences.

* * * *

__

About an hour after Le'Kruune had taken my mother into his bedroom, a guard was called in to remove me to my cell. There I was given a large meal and medical attention for my restraint wounds. For the rest of the night I was in agony; Mother remained with Le'Kruune, and my every waking moment was tortured with visions of what he was doing to her. I cried hard, nearly non-stop. I cried until I began to wretch, and I thought for sure I would succumb to dehydration. I cried and cried until at last I had succeeded in crying myself to sleep. Even then, I could have no peace. Nightmares filled my head, causing me to wake up screaming.

At the start of the morning cycle I was beckoned from my cell by a guard who informed me that I would be joining Le'Kruune and my mother for breakfast. I had mixed emotions at this news. I was both anxious and eager to see Mom; I dreaded how she might appear after a night with Le'Kruune, but was excited to see her again just the same. As for the prospect of sitting down to breakfast with that thurgabbah kurrish'ta, I was furious. I tried not to think about him as I was escorted back to his private suite. Instead, I thought about Mother, and the lengths to which she would go to protect me.

At the door to the suite I paused, suddenly afraid to go in. When it opened, I gasped. There was Mother, sitting on the sofa, with Le'Kruune sitting on her other side, a clawed hand resting lightly on one of her legs. My blood boiled at the sight. Fear left me just then, and I stormed into the room shouting, "GET YOUR FILTHY HANDS OFF MY MOTHER!!!"

Le'Kruune looked up at me calmly, giving me a smug smile before removing his hand. My guard had followed me in, cannon raised, but Le'Kruune waved at him dismissively, so he left. Without hesitation I turned to Mother, throwing my arms around her and sobbing. For a minute she rocked me gently in her own arms, cooing to me as if I were a baby again.

"Sshhh, sshhh. It's okay, Wendy. I'm alright. Everything's going to be alright. Ssshhhhh…" During that time Le'Kruune had gotten up and gone to sit in the adjacent armchair. When I finally let go of Mother, I managed to get a good look at her. She looked exhausted. There was a dark circle under her eye, and she seemed pale. She was wearing a white, silky-looking robe over something black, and her hair was a mess. Other than that, she appeared to be okay. I had expected a lot worse, and was relieved. Le'Kruune invited me to sit down. I gave him the dirtiest look I could manage and sat down on the same side of the couch as before, between Mother and him. He snickered.

"Still up in arms, are we?" he asked, obviously amused by my anger. "Don't worry, my dear boy. I always take good care of your mother." He smiled demurely and I wanted to spit in his face. "You're just in time for breakfast!" he added happily, making a gesture at the table. He could have fed six people with all that food: a dozen flat cakes piled up on one plate, scrambled reweq eggs on another, an enormous bowl of various fruits (all native to Turo), and several other appetizers for which there is no clear description. It all looked positively delectable, and it smelled even better, but I had no appetite just then.

"Please, help yourself to some truulmesh." He heaped a large serving of something bluish-gray and curdled-looking onto his plate and proceeded to eat with gusto. Halfway through his meal he looked up, frowning. "Well, come on, eat up! This breakfast isn't going to eat itself, you know!" His eyes turned to Mother. "Eat, Vay. You know you want to. You didn't even touch your dinner last night. Surely you must be famished by now, especially after last night's strenuous exertions."

"Thank you, but no. I'm really not hungry right now. Maybe later."

Le'Kruune eyed her suspiciously. "Suit yourself." And he continued to pack away the food. I was amazed at how much he could eat in one sitting. When he had finished, he called in a servant to clean up. Afterward, he struck up another meaningless conversation. It was only when he made a lewd comment to Mom about one of her physical features that I broke out of my silence.

"WHAT did you say?" I demanded of him.

"I merely complimented your mother for her delectable curves. Surely as a man yourself you can appreciate that sort of thing?"

"Not when you're talking about my mother!" I shouted.

"But she is a woman first, and a mother second," he contended. "And I distinctly recall the look on your face when I showed you that picture. If that hadn't been your mother's face on that body you would have looked at it quite differently."

That did it. I couldn't take any more of it. I stood up, very slowly, and spat in his face. Le'Kruune cursed, wiping it off with the back of his hand before using it to send me flying across the room. I hit the mini-bar, and rolled off the counter, landing on the floor behind it. Mother screamed. Le'Kruune strode over and peered around the counter at me. I grabbed a large bottle of God-knows-what and broke it over his head. It shattered against his horns, doing him no harm, but now he was soaked with alcohol and furious. He seized me by the throat with one hand and lifted me up over his head. I gasped, but could not draw in any air. My windpipe was crushed. Screaming again, Mother flung herself at Le'Kruune, biting the arm that held me. He roared and dropped me on the floor. Mother still clung to him, attempting to tear his face off. Le'Kruune seized her with both hands and pulled. She let go of his face then just as he spun around and hurled her roughly onto the couch. Before I could catch my breath, Le'Kruune landed on top of her, pinning her down. 

"NOOO!!!" I screamed, pulling myself up and jumping on his back. With little effort he reached back and grabbed hold of my foot. He swung me once before pitching me across the room again. This time I hit the wall. Hard. I was dizzy and in pain, and I couldn't see straight. Over on the couch, Mother was colorfully cursing Le'Kruune in several languages, some I didn't even know. He was pressed against her and smiling viciously, showing as many teeth as he could, laughing at her. I watched in horror as he kissed her, deeper and more passionately than before. I tried screaming, but my voice cracked, and I coughed. I tried to get up, but I was still disoriented.

Satisfied, Le'Kruune sat up, smiling sweetly at my mother. In an instant she was on her feet and rushing to my side. She hugged me hard, and I heard her sob. I looked up at her, and noticed that the belt of her robe had come undone. Underneath it I could see quite clearly what she was wearing: it was the same outfit she had worn in the picture! I groaned disgustedly and looked away. Mother made no move to fix her robe; she was still too worried about me. Le'Kruune stepped up behind her, and she turned around and glared at him furiously.

"You said you wouldn't hurt him!" she shouted.

"Yes, I did," Le'Kruune admitted. "However, that was provided that he didn't assault me first, and, as you just plainly saw, he did." 

"Damn you to Hell with all your logic!!!" she spat. "You still didn't have to do that!!!"

"No, I guess not," he sighed, shaking his head, "but I don't doubt the boy has learned his lesson."

"Which is…?"

Le'Kruune grinned wickedly. "Don't annoy the sociopath."

"That's the understatement of the millennium," Mother snorted, turning back to me. Her soft hand felt cool against my burning face. She gently inspected me for damage, her eye full of pleading with me to understand something, to have patience and trust in her. I wanted to do those things, but I couldn't. I couldn't even begin to fathom the remarkable strength she possessed. SHE was the one who was suffering, not me, though she refused to allow any facet of herself to admit it. The look in her eye was tender, loving… still, I couldn't stand to look into it anymore. I cast my own eye down, and saw again the exotic attire Le'Kruune had forced her to wear. I felt sick, and I closed my eye tight, trying to shut out the image of her as his toy.

"He's fine, Vay. Do come back and sit down with me," purred Le'Kruune, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Pleakley can join us, too, if he promises to behave himself."

I grumbled to myself as Mom helped me up. A moment later we were all sitting on the sofa, Mom in the middle. I had tried to put myself between them, but Le'Kruune was too quick for me. He activated a holo-screen, which floated transparently in the air in front of us, and tuned it in to a local news broadcast.

"Just look! The two of you have made the headlines!" he exclaimed, sounding excited. Sure enough, there was the grand councilwoman, admitting to the press that extradited prisoner and former agent Wendy Pleakley had been abducted by the Kaizaxx, and that his mother, decorated first class agent Vay Pleakley, was also missing, and it was believed, though not confirmed, that she had met the same fate as her son.

Le'Kruune laughed delightedly. "Another fifteen seconds of fame for the illustrious Vay! And for Wendy_, another fifteen seconds of shame." He used a tone of mock pity as he said that. I just sneered and continued to stare at the holo-screen. Le'Kruune started flipping through the channels._

"Over ten thousand channels on this thing and there's never anything good on!" He grunted irritably and put it back on the news. Now it was time for the meteorology report, and good God, was that boring! I could have fallen asleep to the forecaster's droning. I wanted to go back to my cell and lay down, but I said nothing. I couldn't leave Mother's side, not while she was still with Le'Kruune. I knew it would be impossible for me to stay… sooner or later he would have his filthy urges again, and I would either be chained to the wall or removed to my cell. I had no idea what to do. I had confidence in Mom… I knew she would not let him get away with all this. She was strong, but he was stronger. I feared for her, knowing that with her next attempt on his life he would not likely be so forgiving. All I could do was pray. I watched out of the corner of my eye as Le'Kruune's dirty hand snaked its way back down to rest on Mom's leg. I pretended not to notice, but I bit down hard on my tongues to suppress a scream.


	18. Vay's Honor

Disclaimer: I do not own Lilo & Stitch or any of the characters therein.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN:  
VAY'S HONOR

Pleakley nearly went to pieces when Le'Kruune beckoned his mother into his bedroom again. It took three guards to escort him back to his cell. Vay was devastated by her son's pain, even though she knew it was only sympathetic pain for herself. Le'Kruune noticed that she was troubled, and inquired about it.

"Why, Vay, whatever is the matter? Are you ill?" He spoke softly as he settled down onto the bed beside her. Vay sat silently on the edge of the bed, chin in hand as she stared into space. When she didn't answer, he reached out to her, brushing a long claw seductively down her back. She shuddered.

"Talk to me, Vay. I'm listening. Tell me your troubles, and I'll make them all go away. You know I have the power to do that."

Vay turned around to face him. "Then let us go," she whispered, looking desperate. "Stop torturing us and let us be! If not myself, then at least let Wendy go. I'M the one you want, not him."

"Not true," said Le'Kruune. "Wendy happens to have something very important of mine, and I want it back."

"You mean the ZY with the weapons input? He destroyed it! _I_ helped him destroy it! It's gone for good! You've been torturing my son for nothing." She said this last sentence with contempt before turning away from him again. Le'Kruune grinned. "If you say so, my dear. I will let him go, in due time. However, you have to understand that the stakes are higher now. The cost of his well-being is skyrocketing each time he tries my patience. I can only put up with so much before I explode. Even _I_ have my bursting point." He crawled across the bed to her and wrapped his arms around her waist. She shivered, partly from the coldness of space and partly from feeling his hot breath on her neck. The fabric of her lingerie was thin, and the movement of air through it made her feel naked.

He buried his face in her hair and inhaled deeply. "God, you're intoxicating!" he purred, pulling her back to him. "Come… let's not waste any more time." He leaned back until he was lying down, dragging Vay down with him. She did not resist. He slid thin fingers up and down her sides, working the silky garment off her body. When he finished, he tossed it aside. He rose up on his knees and looked down at her, pleased by what he saw. Vay said nothing. She just stared back at him unblinking, waiting for him to make his next move. He laid down on top of her. She inhaled sharply from his combined weight and size, but recovered quickly. The previous night had given her plenty of time to get used to it again.

Le'Kruune took his time, moving slowly as he nipped at her bare flesh, tasting her every curve and contour before coming back up to her lips. He kissed her deeply, sliding his tongue into her mouth to caress against her own. Vay moaned painfully as he pressed himself against her. She still ached from earlier, but pretty soon the passion overrode the pain and she was in ecstasy once again. She would be ashamed of herself later for having enjoyed it. It felt like she was betraying her son. She didn't want to do this any more than _he_ wanted her to, but she would much rather enjoy it for what it was instead of thinking of it as a form of rape. When Le'Kruune was done, he rolled over onto his back, sighing self-satisfactorily. Vay lay still beside him, staring up at the ceiling.

* * * *

_At breakfast the next morning, I noticed that Mother looked a lot paler than she had the night before. When I asked her if she was okay, she simply shrugged and said that she hadn't gotten much sleep. She insisted that it wasn't Le'Kruune's lust that had kept her up, but his snoring. I doubted this, but I didn't question her further. She didn't want to talk about it, and I didn't want to bother her. Later on when she went down to the cleansing station to take a bath, I took the opportunity to talk to Le'Kruune alone. I was invited into his suite to watch the holo-screen and have a snack, and I accepted. He did not join me, though. Instead, he seemed to be busy with paperwork at his desk in the corner. After a while I got up the nerve and went over to him._

"What do you see in my mom?" I asked him, as calmly as though I were requesting the time of day. He set his papers down and turned in his swivel chair to face me.

"I beg your pardon?"

"What do you see in my mom?" I repeated, then blushed slightly when I realized how that sounded… as though she were some kind of unsightly beast. "I mean, why do you keep… pursuing her?"

"Are you blind?" he said, answering my question with one of his own.

"What?"

"Good Lord, and deaf, too?" he feigned shock, and I frowned at him.

"Forgive me," he added, sounding sincere, "but what I meant was, have you ever taken a good look at your mother? Can you not see why she is so desirable?"

Something in me squirmed. He was treading on forbidden ground again, and this time he was trying to pull me in with him.

"No," I replied flatly. "Listen, Le'Kruune, I don't know what's taboo or not on YOUR home planet, but where I come from, most people do not look at their mothers that way, or any other family member at that. It's just wrong."

Le'Kruune smiled sinisterly. "Of course, I didn't mean it quite like that. How else do I make it clear to you? Just for a moment, try to picture your mother as a stranger. Then look at her again. From a stranger's point of view, you will see what I mean when I say that she is an absolutely stunning specimen of womanhood."

I seethed a little at his words, but I kept my temper in check. When I thought about it, I knew that my mother was indeed quite gorgeous, and certainly highly desirable, even to men of other species. What I didn't understand, though, was why this particular man continued to lust for her. Surely he had other women who were willing to throw themselves into his bed? A man of his power and persuasion always had a way with women, even if that way was force.

"Well, I know she's pretty…" I began, but Le'Kruune overrode me. "Pretty!" he bellowed, looking amused. "Is that all? Just 'pretty?'" He chuckled heartily. "My dear boy, you are a card! Pretty - HA!!! You know your mother is more than that. Oh, yes. MUCH more than that. I recall that there was more than shock on your face when you saw her in that outfit!" My face burned from fury as I fought to keep myself calm. "But seriously, looks aren't everything, although they certainly do help!" He turned to shuffle some papers on his desk. "Yes, indeed," he muttered, half to himself. "Vay would make a fine candidate for Miss Universe. She would certainly have MY vote."

"So, that's it?" I asked. "You're only interested in a woman because she's got a pretty face? That's really shallow." 

"Oh, no," Le'Kruune murmured, without looking up from his papers. "It's not just the pretty face I'm interested in, but the body attached to it as well." I clenched my hands into fists and struggled to keep them at my sides. I was surprised at how well I was able to control myself. But Le'Kruune was pushing it. I began to wonder if he was provoking me purposely. I wasn't about to give in, though. Not yet, anyway.

"That's still really shallow," I replied crossly.

"Is it?" he asked, feigning concern. "You know, Pleakley, those aren't the only reasons why I still long for Vay. She's quite the charmer, too, even when she's pissed off and trying to neuter me. Yes, and I might also mention that she's quite good in bed."

That did it… or should I say, that nearly did it. I felt something literally burst in my head, and wondered, for a brief moment, if I was suffering from an aneurism. The desire to kill him was strong… almost as strong as it had been when I had watched him kiss my mother. I wanted so desperately to rip his frigging head off with my bare hands. Instead, I remained silent, watching him write something in a ledger.

"I bet that must be hard for you to imagine… your mother, a creature of sensual design." He turned his chair again and looked me square in the face. "And I am amazed that you are handling this so well! I thought for sure you would have assaulted me by now, verbally if not physically. Especially when I said that your mother is good in bed!" He leaned back in his chair and studied me. 

"Why, you probably don't even know what I'm talking about!" he continued. "By the look of you, I'd say you haven't even received your first kiss yet, excluding all the ones from Mummy over the years!" He chuckled to himself. My face grew hot with embarrassment, but I said nothing. Whether or not his words rang true was none of his business. He was half wrong, anyway. I HAD received my first kiss, and a second and third as well, but nothing beyond that, and only once was it a true kiss of passion.

Le'Kruune looked me over again. "But you're still just a kid, really. It wasn't THAT long ago when I saw you as a baby. In fact, I'd say it's only been… what? Twenty years?"

"Close," I replied. "I'm twenty-two." 

"Ah, yes. That sounds more accurate… and still young enough to lose yourself to an innocent girl," he mused. He leaned back further and brought his hands together, steepling his fingers.

"You know, Vay was only nineteen when she had you," he told me. 

"So?" I replied haughtily, wondering why the hell that mattered to him.

"So, that's pretty young to be starting a family, especially without being married first. Or am I mistaken about your people's moral beliefs?"

"We try not to pass judgment right away," I informed him. "Everyone makes mistakes, but not everyone takes responsibility for them. My mother could have abandoned me, but she didn't. The thought never even crossed her mind."

"Such a valiant young woman, Vay," sighed Le'Kruune. "Yes, she accepted her mistake, even though it was a costly one. You really owe her big time for that."

I scowled at him. Why did he have to make me feel so guilty about the sacrifices Mom had made for me? SHE never tried to make me feel like I owed her anything.

"When I first met her, I was amazed that she was still single. I just couldn't believe your father had run out on her! A stunning creature like Vay… why, it's unheard of! It shouldn't have mattered that he knocked her up."

"Yeah, well… obviously he was a coward," I said, my voice rising in anger at the thought of him.

"Obviously," Le'Kruune agreed. He leaned toward me grinning. He seemed to enjoy poking around in sensitive subjects, and I had the feeling he wasn't about to quit anytime soon. "Tell me, Pleakley: was it hard growing up alone, just you and your mother? Or did you perhaps enjoy having her all to yourself?"

"Sometimes it was hard," I admitted, "but I think it allowed us to bond better than most mothers and sons."

"That's good to hear," he purred, leaning back again. "You know, I could very easily have been a father figure to you, if Vay had allowed it. She didn't, of course. She thought I would have been bad for you, and perhaps she was right. I certainly wouldn't have failed to make you into more of a man, though. No offense," he added, grinning smugly at me.

"None taken," I growled in response.

"Good. You know you'll never get the girl if you keep hiding under your mother's skirt, or negligee, I should say."

"I don't intend to 'get the girl,' as you call it," I told him angrily.

Le'Kruune's eyes widened in shock. "Good Lord! Don't tell me you're…you're… 'contemplating' an alternative lifestyle! Not that there's anything wrong with that, of course." 

"NO!" I shouted defiantly, going red in the cheeks. "I meant I'm not stooping to your level just to chase after some pretty tail! Your view of women as sex objects appalls me, especially when that woman is my own mother!" 

"Alright, alright, there's no need to get all huffy about it," he said soothingly. "I'm not as shallow as you seem to think I am. I certainly don't view your mother as a mere object for my amusement, Pleakley. Far from it. She has a very charming personality, and she's a helluva fighter! Her skills in battle would put most of my troops to shame… and those same skills translate very well in the bedroom, if you get what I mean."

My blood boiled and I saw red. "WILL YOU STOP TALKING ABOUT HER LIKE THAT?!!" I shrieked. "She has feelings, you know, and you're constantly hurting them! You're also making me sick! We shouldn't even be having this conversation! It's wrong! And what you're doing to my mother is wrong! Why can't you just leave her alone?!!"

"Because she is mine now," he answered calmly, and I seethed. "She gave herself to me willingly in order to protect you. A very noble choice, although I hardly see the point of it. In the little time I've gotten to know you, I'd say you are nothing but a pathetic waste of sinew and flesh, not to mention all of Mummy's hard-earned money." He grinned wickedly, baring his teeth. "You should really be asking YOURSELF why Vay is in this predicament. She loves you, and Love is a heartless entity, to have let her succumb to this fate."

All of a sudden I was fighting back tears. I knew what he said was true… if it hadn't been for ME, none of this would have happened, and Mother would never have had to subject herself to this tyrant. But Le'Kruune was still wrong, and I told him so.

"You're the one who is heartless!" I shouted. "Because you cannot possibly know what it is to love! If you had even a shred of mercy in you, you would let the both of us go!"

"Wendy?!!" 

I startled at my mother's voice, and spun around to look at her. She had just returned from her bath - she had a towel wrapped around her hair and she was wearing the same robe as before. The way it clung to her damp body caught Le'Kruune's attention, and he looked her up and down with a hungry eye.

"Finished with your bath, my dear?" he asked, standing up and striding past me to where Mom was standing. "I trust you are feeling refreshed and, dare I assume, ready to resume our activity of choice?"

"I suppose," Mother sighed, casting her eye toward the floor. "Although it's a little too early in the day for my liking. Besides, I had hoped to spend this time with my son."

"But of course," purred Le'Kruune, leaning over and taking her hand. "There is all the time in the universe for us to…socialize." His other hand snuck down to rest on her hip, and I fumed. He licked her cheek, teasing, before sealing his mouth over hers. Mother moaned in surprise. Oh, GOD, how I wanted to kill him! At least rip his manhood off so that he could never again partake in his favorite pastime. I struggled to remain still, though. I knew it wouldn't do me any good to attack him again, and even if I did, he might snap and take it out on Mom, and I could never allow that to happen. When he finally withdrew, she gasped.

"What are you trying to do, asphyxiate me?" she demanded breathlessly. "You could have left a little more breathing room, you know!" She tried to push him away, but he held onto her tight. One hand slithered up her side to the belt of her robe. He tugged furtively at it until it began to loosen. Mother realized what he was doing and slapped his hand away. 

"Dammit, Le'Kruune! I SAID not NOW! And NOT in front of Wendy!"

"Oh, baby, you worry too much," he purred to her. "Wendy's a big boy. He can handle it. He's doing a marvelous job of it so far! Yes, it takes a high level of tolerance to accept that one's mother is a whore." 

That did it. That REALLY did it that time! I lost it completely. To Hell with self-control, and to Hell with HIM!!! Without hesitation I lunged, knocking him down. He landed on his stomach, then twisted his arm around to reach me. I stomped and pounded on his back, and I bit his hand as it neared my face. He howled and rolled over, nearly crushing me. I managed to squeeze out from under him before he could get a grip on me. He was on his feet in an instant, drawing a plasma cannon out of a sheath on his belt and pointing it at my head. I froze. Le'Kruune gave a mighty roar and lurched forward. I screamed, thinking that this was the end. Le'Kruune continued to fall forward, until finally he hit the floor. The cannon fired once at my feet, and I leaped just in the nick of time. I looked at him, and was surprised when he didn't get up. He just laid there, motionless, as if he were…dead. I looked up at Mom, and gasped. She stood over him, panting, staring wide-eyed at the dagger she had planted in his back.

  



	19. Broken

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN:  
BROKEN

_I was in shock. Complete, utter, and absolute shock. I stared at Le'Kruune's lifeless body, the double-edged dagger sticking straight up out of his back. Dark purple blood was pouring out of the wound, and Mother's hands were stained with it. She had driven the primitive steel weapon all the way down to the hilt, and was still panting from the effort. She was shaking a little, but not nearly as much as I was. The maniacal look in her eye was still in place, but it softened when she glanced up at me. I had almost forgotten to breathe. _

"Oh, Mom!" I cried, stepping cautiously around the corpse and flinging my arms around her. The towel had fallen off her head, and I buried my face into her damp hair and sobbed loudly. Slowly and heavily, she lifted up her own arms to return the hug. She patted my back, and said nothing. I continued to weep, drenching her with my tears. There were no words to express the flood of emotions that washed over me then. I was happy and horrified all at once. Nothing could be said to convey how I felt about what she had done. Not a single word except… 

"Thank you," I whispered, "for EVERYTHING. I love you, Mom."

She took my face in her hands and kissed me tenderly on the lips. "I love you, too," she whispered back, "more than infinity, and longer than eternity."

A few minutes passed in silence. We held onto each other the whole time, as if afraid to let go. When I finally thought to ask her where she had gotten the knife, she merely shrugged and said that she'd managed to slip it off one of Le'Kruune's petty officers by seducing him. Horrified, I asked if she had had to kill him, too, but she said no. She had only had to 'rough him up a little,' and that was it. I tried to picture how she must have left him… probably no better off than the first two guards she had encountered aboard this ship. This ship…

With a terrible wrenching of my heart, I realized the dilemma we were in. Here we were, in Le'Kruune's private suite, at the very center of the Kaizaxx ship, surrounded by heavily armed military troops and security personnel. There was absolutely no way we could make it to the docking bay without getting caught, and even if, by some miracle, we DID make it, it would be impossible for us to leave in Mother's cruiser. Le'Kruune had ordered the ignition system to be disabled, in the event that we tried to escape. Mother sensed my fear, and tried to reassure me.

"Don't worry, honey. I'll find someway to get us out of here. I promise. I'll see you safely out of this hellhole, or die trying."

"Oh, Mom, no!" I sobbed. "You c-can't die! You WON'T! I won't let you! If YOU die, I'll die with you."

"NO, Wendy," she said severely, "you have too much to live for, and I can't live without you. If anything should happen to you, I won't hesitate to turn a ray gun on myself."

"Oh, God, Mom, PLEASE don't say that!" I whined. "Please… you've already suffered enough because of me. Don't KILL yourself over me, too!"

Mother looked mad all of a sudden. She grabbed me by the shoulders and shook me slightly. "DAMMIT, WENDY, STOP BLAMING YOURSELF! THE ONLY THING I'VE EVER TRULY SUFFERED FROM IS LOVING YOU! AND I WOULD NEVER TRADE THAT LOVE FOR ANYTHING!!! NOTHING, I REPEAT, NOTHING CAN EVER EASE MY SUFFERING, AND IF YOU THINK FOR ONE SECOND THAT I'M GOING TO LOSE YOU, THEN YOU'VE NEVER BEEN MORE MISTAKEN!!!"

She let go of me then, panting. I felt a fresh wave of tears coming on, and suddenly I grew weak in the knees. I sank to the floor, letting my eye wander over to Le'Kruune. I caught a glimpse of something strange and did a double-take. His right arm, the one that had held the plasma cannon, appeared to have moved. No. It couldn't have… but I could have sworn that it had been in an entirely different position only moments before. It had been straight, and he had been lying on it. Now it was bent at the elbow and pulled up against his side. No, that couldn't be right. He was dead… he had to be! Mother followed my eye and gasped. She, too, had noticed the difference. It was confirmed… I wasn't seeing things. That arm HAD moved! My heart leapt up into my throat. Mother took hold of my arm and tugged on it urgently. When I looked back at her, she jerked her head frantically in the direction of the bedroom. Petrified, I climbed to my feet and allowed her to lead me away. She was looking around frantically… most likely for some kind of weapon. I wondered why she didn't grab the plasma cannon, but looking back at it I saw that it lay far too close to its owner to even try. He was probably daring us to do so, just so he could seize it in a split second and then blow both our heads off. 

Mother spotted a bronze statuette of a nude Kaizaxx woman and ran for it. I heard scuffling behind us and glanced back over my shoulder. My heart stopped at the sight of Le'Kruune rising up off the floor, his obsidian eyes blazing with hatred. He contorted his muscular arm behind his back and seized hold of the dagger, pulling it out. He didn't even wince. He took one look at it and cast it aside. He saw his cannon, and picked it up. I was so scared just then that I was unable to move. Mother had managed to grab the statuette off its pedestal, and was already back at my side. She held it up in front of her like a club, although she was shaking furiously. Le'Kruune bounded across the room, landing right in front of us. His teeth were bared in the most lethal-looking snarl I had yet seen. He jabbed the cannon hard into Mother's chest, nearly knocking her over backward. Terrified, she dropped her weapon, then threw her hands up in surrender. 

"NOOO!!!" I screamed, flinging my arms around her and putting my back to the cannon. I buried my face in her heaving chest and sobbed: "Kill my mother and you'll have to kill me, too!"

Le'Kruune lowered his weapon and began to laugh. And laugh. He kept on laughing, louder and more maniacal, until I thought he would burst open at the seams. 

"KILL you?!!" he repeated, sounding incredulous. "Now why in HELL would I do that?" I turned and looked up at him, disbelieving. "No. It was never my intention to kill either one of you. Not even after that admirable second attempt on my OWN life just now. It certainly tries my patience, but KILL you?! Absolutely not!!!" He bent over until his face was level with ours and added in a blood-curdling growl: "Killing you would be too easy."

Before I knew what was happening, Le'Kruune wrenched me away from Mom and tossed me aside like a dirty rag. I skidded several feet across the carpet and winced at the burn it gave me. I rolled over and looked back just in time to see him raise his hand, and then bring it back down across my mother's face. I watched in horror as she flew sideways from that hit and landed painfully on the floor. I tried to scream, but suddenly I was gagging on air. Mother lay motionless on her side, an empty look in her eye as she stared unblinking at me. She was still conscious, I knew, but undoubtedly she was afraid to move for fear of getting hit again. She covered the side of her face that had been struck and curled up into a fetal position. Le'Kruune was poised above her, obviously waiting for her to react. I would have reacted myself if I hadn't been sick to my stomach from all the collected physical and emotional pain we had endured aboard this ship. It so overwhelmed me that I was unable even to yell out as Le'Kruune picked my mother up off the floor and cradled her to his chest. I couldn't believe what I was seeing! For a moment, he actually looked like he cared about her! I was even more surprised that Mom wasn't trying to escape. She had always been so strong…so brave…

Now, as Le'Kruune held her in his arms, it appeared to me that he had finally managed to achieve the impossible, and broken her.

He walked over to where I was lying, carrying my mother with him. He towered over me as he stared me down, daring me with his eyes to try and rescue her from his grasp. She squirmed slightly, turning her head just enough to look down at me. The expression on her face was the strangest I'd ever seen. It stabbed me in the heart when I realized what it was: my mother was… gone. The woman lying limp in those massive arms was no longer the same person. Just a hollow shell bearing my mother's name and appearance. My heart withered and died.

"Momma…" I whispered, reaching a hand up toward her. "Momma, no…" She gave no reaction. All I saw, all I felt in her was emptiness. She was broken. Le'Kruune had broken her. I collapsed on the carpet and cried. Suddenly, and without warning, Mother gave a high-pitched shriek and kicked him in the face. He roared as she jumped out of his arms and grabbed me up off the floor. I had never been more relieved in my life. Mother was okay. She was still her own amazing self. As we ran toward the door, I laughed. I should have realized that her spirit would be impossible to break. She hit something on the panel and the door slid up and open. We ran out laughing past the stunned sentries. Both hesitated before bolting after us, clearly afraid to use their weapons and get in trouble with Le'Kruune for hurting us. We looked back over our shoulders at them, and saw Le'Kruune standing furiously in the doorway, yelling at them to run faster before he aided them on with a couple of plasma blasts. 

I continued to laugh, even as I looked ahead of me again and collided with another guard. About the same moment, Mom collided with a second guard. The two Rapturians had been waiting for us, just out of sight at the end of the corridor. Mom wasted no time. She brought a knee up into her captor's groin, and he sank to the floor with a pitiful moan. I tried the same with my own captor, but he blocked me and pinned my arms behind my back. I felt him apply the cuffs and I cursed. Mother turned to him with a murderous gleam in her eye, and for a moment, he looked terrified. She threw herself on him shrieking, and knocked him down. They wrestled for several seconds before the other two guards finally caught up, cannons raised. Six more guards appeared out of nowhere and surrounded us. Mother glanced up at them. That split second of distraction was just enough to allow her opponent to reverse positions with her. He rolled them both until he was on top, disrobing her in the process. He got up quickly as Le'Kruune stormed up behind us. He was huffing and puffing, but he quickly regained composure as he surveyed the awful scene before him.

Mother lay naked on the floor, her robe laying just a few feet away. Her chest was heaving as she panted, and all the guards were staring at her. Even with their commanding officer present, they did not bother to conceal their excitement. I looked away, my face hot with my mother's shame. Le'Kruune smiled down at her and said, "escort these two to back to D7. I will send for the female later, once I patch up the little nick she gave me." His wicked grin as he said this made me shudder. How in HELL had he survived?!! I just couldn't understand it. Right then, it didn't matter. Two guards anxiously stepped forward and took hold of Mom, pulling her roughly to her feet. While they cuffed her, a third guard came forward and picked up her robe. Le'Kruune leaned toward him and held out his hand. The guard hesitated, then handed the garment over to him. He did not offer it back to Mother. Instead, he seemed satisfied with the idea of letting the guards parade her naked body down the corridor for all of his men to see. And indeed, eight of the ten guards flanked us closely as they escorted us back to our cell, all of them shoving each other in turn in order to get a good look at her. The other two guards, the ones who stood sentry outside Le'Kruune's suite, were thoroughly disgruntled about having to return to their post.

I was burning with fury as we walked back to our cell. Whistles, howls, catcalls, and other animal noises rang out all around us in my mother's favor. I started to cry again, then decided against it. Better not make things worse, I told myself. Le'Kruune's men were a bunch of typical lewd, crude construction worker types whose closest thing to a love life lay somewhere in the pages of a porno mag, and whose definition of manliness sat firmly below the belt. To shed tears in front of them would be a costly mistake. We were thrown, none too gentle, into our cell, the guards all laughing us. Some of them managed to get in a few vulgar remarks just before the door came down and cut them off. They had removed our handcuffs, and our wrists were sore. Mom sat down on the bed and tried to rub some feeling back into her hands. She didn't bother to cover herself, even though there was a blanket and bed sheet right beneath her. Not that those would do much good. Too hard to keep wrapped up in. I couldn't stand to see her like that, even though she hadn't appeared embarrassed for a second. Not even when we had passed by one of the main control rooms, where about three dozen more officers and guards, all men, called out to her. She had just stared straight ahead of her, a look of determination on her face, and did not respond. Still, I couldn't allow her any more shame.

I pulled off my own shirt and handed it to her. "Here, Mom," I said, not looking directly at her. I could sense her amusement at the fact that I was more embarrassed than she was.

"But - what'll YOU wear?" she asked, hesitating to take it from me.

"Nothing," I replied. "I don't need to. Go ahead and take it. You need it a lot more than I do."

"Thanks," she said sweetly, and put it on. When I looked at her, I blushed. Being a man's shirt, it didn't fit her quite as well as it did me. It was made from a very elastic, form-fitting material, and because of this, it fit very snugly around her chest. I imagined she would still be receiving lewd comments and catcalls later on. Suddenly that was the least of my worries, for just then I remembered what Le'Kruune had said about 'sending for the female' later, and I shuddered to think what he might have in mind for Mother when he did.


	20. Flash Forward

Disclaimer: I do not own Lilo & Stitch or any of the characters therein.

CHAPTER NINETEEN:  
FLASH FORWARD

Things were just starting to get good when Jumba stumbled onto the part about Pleakley's mother being - as HE put it - a woman of questionable virtues. It was only lucky that Nani had been listening in on his reading aloud to Lilo the whole time… he probably would have plowed right through to some of the darker passages without giving it a second thought.

"Okay, that's enough reading for one night!" she said quickly, jumping up from her seat across the room and snatching the book out of the alien's hands. She turned to her sister, smiling hysterically. "Off to bed now, Lilo. It's getting late, and you have school tomorrow."

"But tomorrow's Saturday!" Lilo objected. "And it's only eight-thirty!"

"I said go to bed, not give me a hundred excuses!"

"But I wanna hear what happens to Pleakley's m -"

"I said NOW!"

Frustrated, Lilo stuck her tongue out at Nani before stomping off toward her bedroom. Stitch scampered along after her. When they were safely out of earshot, Nani glared back at Jumba, who was still sitting on the couch. He looked back at her uncomfortably.

"_Vhat?_"

"You could have been a little more careful about what you were reading to her! A seven-year-old girl shouldn't be hearing about how someone's mother chose to make a living!"

Jumba looked affronted. "But is Pleakley's story, not mine, and you said ve could read it. You said nothing about censorship."

Nani growled. "There's a little thing called 'common sense' - try getting yourself some! You could have scanned ahead a little before sharing it with Lilo!"

"But is _Pleakley_ ve're talking about! Who vould think that his past vould be filled vith such demons! I don't know about _you_, larger girl, but personally I am still reeling vith shock."

At this, Nani sighed, sitting down on the couch beside him. "I know what you mean," she whispered. "I can't believe it either." They sat together in silence for about a minute, both of them staring at the floor. When a soft sound caught Jumba's attention, he looked up. Next to him, Nani was sobbing. She shut her eyes tight and he watched as a tear squeezed out and streamed down her cheek. For a moment, he was alarmed. Nani was the last person he would have expected to break down like that. He had never seen her so distraught, save for the time the big dummy Gantu had abducted Lilo. He shifted uncomfortably, struggling with his own mixture of emotions. Part of him was still with Pleakley, filled with empathetic fury and pain, and part of him was with Nani, her own pain stronger and more tangible to him since she was right there beside him. Should he reach out to her… put an arm around her and comfort her? Or would that be overstepping his bounds? He was ohana now, but that still didn't change his feeling of being alien. He _wanted_ to comfort her, but he was afraid… not of _her _feelings, but his _own._

"Those bastards," Nani whispered, and Jumba looked at her in surprise. She looked back at him, her eyes shining with tears. "Why?" she demanded of him. "_Why_ did they do those things?!! Pleakley would never even harm a mosquito, but those _monsters!!!_ Those horrible monsters…" she sobbed loudly, unable to continue. She buried her face in her hands to stifle her tears. Jumba's heart wrenched painfully at the sight. Tears were actually starting to form in his own eyes, and he was surprised at himself. He couldn't even remember the last time he had cried. He was very close to it now, but he set his jaw and remained firm. He could be strong for himself, but could he also be strong for Nani? He felt it was his duty to try. Letting himself go, he lifted a thick arm and laid it lightly on her shoulder. Nani startled him by sobbing even louder, then turning to him and burying her face in his chest. He wrapped both arms around her then, and rubbed her back soothingly.

"Sshhh. Is alright, Earth girl._ Nani_. Uncle Jumba is here for you. He'll figure out a vay to help your little one-eyed one. Ve all vill. All for one, as your two musketeers vould say."

"Three," Nani corrected him, sitting up straight and wiping her eyes.

"Vhat, there are _three_ now?" Jumba asked, looking puzzled.

* * * *

Okay, I know that was extremely short and it sucked. I'm working on it, though. I'm kinda in a hurry to get back to the main issues, but for the sake of some of my readers I felt obliged to revisit the present and clear up a few discrepancies. It's tough, but I'm working really hard to weave all this together to make it turn out right in the end. Don't worry, folks - I promise we'll go back to Nani's pretty soon, and back to California to check up on Pleakley! First I gotta find out where Cobra stashed him… I know he's SOMEWHERE in my home county… I'll be taking a little trip over there for Halloween… full report when I get back!!!


	21. Le'Kruune's Obsession

Disclaimer: I do not own Lilo & Stitch or any of the characters therein.

CHAPTER TWENTY:  
LE'KRUUNE'S OBSESSION

Le'Kruune stood naked beneath the steaming cascade of water inside the cleansing station, allowing dark blood to wash from his already healed wound. For a while he watched the water swirl into the drain, the purple tint of his blood fading slowly until it was clear once again. That dagger had been long; no less than eight inches, he'd reckoned, and that nasty little bitch had driven it all the way down to the hilt. He smiled serenely at the thought of Vay, standing over him as she admired her work. She had remarkable prowess, he had to admit: her passionate blood thirst was so like his own, it was uncanny, although the two of them would have killed for very different reasons. The very image of her attacking him… a maniacal gleam in her eye, ample chest heaving with the effort, her hands stained with his blood… drove him mad with lust. In no man had he ever met his match in battle, but in this particular _woman_, he had met… perfection. She was everything desirable to him, and so much more. Perfect rival, perfect lover, perfect _everything._ As the last of the blood was washed away, Le'Kruune shivered a little with excitement. The scalding hot water only intensified his yearning, and he stepped out of the shower quickly and dried off, ready to claim his prey.

* * * *

__

Mother and I had fallen asleep in each other's arms. I was surprised that either of us had managed to doze off, as we held each other close and discussed new strategies of escape long into the night. We both knew that it was only a matter of time before Le'Kruune sent for us again, specifically Mom, but what we didn't know, and were afraid to know, was what he might do to her in retaliation for that attempt on his life. I still couldn't believe he had survived that. Mom, on the other hand, hadn't been all that surprised. In a long-winded procession of very technical jargon, even the simplest of which being hard for me to understand, she explained the rumors about Le'Kruune and an elite circle of Kaizaxx members undergoing a top-secret experimental procedure… one that had succeeded in rendering them all virtually indestructible. Even when she repeated it to me in layman's terms, it was still difficult to comprehend. 

All I remember was that it had something to do with reconstructing their molecular maps to allow severe damages by programming the very molecules themselves to disband and regroup at will. This meant that the intrusion of a foreign object, such as a knife, into a specific mass of molecules, such as muscle tissue, would trigger the molecules' reaction to retract away from the object, and to return to their proper place once that object was removed. As for Le'Kruune's substantial amount of blood loss, this was attributed to the theory that certain molecular groups, like the ones that formed some of the veins and arteries, had a slower reaction time when it came to disbanding and regrouping. It could also have been due to the extended length of time he had left the knife in his back. This had been made up for by his body's acquired ability to restock its own blood supply at a super fast rate… another side effect of the experiment. Of the experiment itself, and its procedure, very little is known. Early research in the field of molecular programming had been stolen by the Kaizaxx and then developed further for their own benefit. It was a dangerous procedure, and it was rumored that several men who had undergone it had died due to molecular breakdown. I had heard tell myself of how the Kaizaxx had appeared to be invulnerable… countless stories told by horrified Federation troops of a gruesome attempt to disembowel their enemies, only to watch as their bloody innards slithered back into place and then became resealed in their abdominal cavity by rapidly regrouping muscle and flesh. I had been both fascinated and repulsed by these stories, although I had never truly believed them… until today.

* * * *

It was late morning by the time we were summoned from our cell. We were escorted to Le'Kruune's quarters by a rather large entourage: four Rapturian guards and two Kaizaxx officers flanked us evenly on both sides. They were all giving my mother dirty looks, obviously remembering the night before, but they said nothing as we headed down into the center of the ship. When the door to Le'Kruune's suite came into view, my heart jumped into my throat. Suddenly I was terrified, and I found it very difficult to breathe as we walked slowly down the corridor. We were about twenty yards away when it opened, and there stood Le'Kruune, waiting to greet us with such a pleased expression on his face that I suddenly wanted to run as fast as I could in the opposite direction. I couldn't do it, though. No matter how scared I was, I just couldn't abandon Mom. Her very life was probably at stake.

When we arrived at his threshold, Le'Kruune bowed us inside with the air of a dignified host. He seemed remarkably self-contained, even happy, at the sight of my mother. Probably because of her tight shirt, I thought. Cheerfully, he invited us to sit down, and we did, both of us taking the sofa once again. I was slightly relieved when he chose to sit in the armchair instead of joining us. I was startled to see a large bouquet of exotic multi-colored flowers sitting on the table, along with a plate of delicious-looking pastries and a bottle of champagne on ice. Le'Kruune was obviously up to something… 

Without a word, he proceeded to pour three tall glasses of purple liquid from the champagne bottle. It so closely resembled the blood I had seen pouring out of his wound the night before, that for an alarming second I thought that it WAS blood, until I noted the translucency of it. It couldn't be blood, then… unless he had watered it down to make it go further. I tortured myself with the thought, wondering which poor petty officer he had had to milk for this refreshment. He handed a glass to Mother, and I watched her taste it. She took a decent-sized gulp, and didn't even wince. I breathed a secret sigh of relief that it wasn't somebody's blood and, as I lifted the glass to my own lips, I was delighted by the taste of it.

"I do hope my lady is pleased by the selection," Le'Kruune purred, swirling his own drink. "I managed to get a few bottles of it in stock this morning. As sweet as the lady Vay herself, and twice as lethal."

In the middle of taking a sip I choked, staring at Le'Kruune in disbelief. He laughed heartily at my reaction. 

"I was only joking, my dear boy! Go ahead and enjoy it. I assure you, I haven't tainted it. Look, do you honestly think I would poison myself?" He took two large gulps to prove his point. "I don't plan to give up the ghost anytime soon… I have a Federation to conquer! And what better way to celebrate my victory than with a few bottles of bubbly and a beautiful woman at my side!"

"What are you talking about?" Mom demanded. "You aren't even remotely close to taking over Federation space! Their defense department and military technology are light years ahead of yours!"

Le'Kruune grinned wickedly. "But you a forgetting one very important thing," he told her. "The Federation does not have the ways nor means to construct a subatomic matter collapser capable of degenerating an entire solar system with a single application!"

"Neither do you," Mother replied smartly. "Wendy and I made sure of that."

At this, Le'Kruune chuckled. "Oh, please," he said demurely, "don't tell me you're still playing that charade! You can swear up and down, in and out, and under pain of death that you destroyed that input, but I know better than to believe that trogshit for a second. Why the hell would you destroy the ZY drive when the information it contained was valuable evidence? Surely you could have used it at Pleakley's appeal? One quick glimpse of its contents and the Council would have pardoned him in an instant. Otherwise, it's back to prison for sonny boy here, where he's likely to get himself 'initiated' the very first day in the cleansing station." He snickered to himself. "No, you could never allow THAT to happen, now, could you, Vay? Of course not. Why, you were already on your way to Turo to give testimony when I contacted you. And that means… YOU BROUGHT THE EVIDENCE ALONG WITH YOU!!!" 

He roared excitedly as he realized this. Suddenly, he gave a mighty leap over our heads and bounded to his desk, where he punched a communications panel and demanded a certain officer's reply. When the reply came, he gave a heated command for him to send a team of mechanics down to the docking bay and begin disassembling Mother's cruiser. He instructed them to keep a sharp lookout for a small, triangular metal object - the ZY - and to leave not a single part unturned in the process. I watched the horror grow on Mother's face and realized for myself that it was true. Of course… it would have to be. I knew she would be bringing the input to my appeal. We had agreed upon it. I just hadn't known that she was already on her way when Le'Kruune called her up. A minute later, he came back and sat down in his chair, looking very smug. He reached for his drink, and took a dainty little sip, savoring his victory.

"It's only a matter of time now…" he muttered, mostly to himself. "My mechanics will have that vehicle dismantled within an hours' time. After that, it shouldn't take very long to locate the ZY… unless, of course, you're willing to save us the time and energy by telling me the exact location of it right now?" He smiled seductively at Mom. She just frowned at him and remained silent. "Of course," he purred, showing his ugly teeth. "It's much more fun to be surprised. Yes. I'll play your little game, Vay, but ooohhhhh, the suspense is killing me!" 

There was a long moment that followed in which some dirty looks were exchanged between the three of us. Le'Kruune looked down at the table, and his eyes lit up, as if he had just remembered something. He picked up the plate then, and held it out to us. "Pastry?"


	22. A Shocking Proposition

Disclaimer: I do not own Lilo & Stitch or any of the characters therein.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE:  
A SHOCKING PROPOSITION

_We didn't have very long to wait before the mechanics found the ZY drive aboard Mom's cruiser. Le'Kruune could hardly conceal his excitement when they contacted him from the docking bay with the news. _

"They'll be bringing it up shortly," he informed us as he sat back down in his chair. "In the meantime, help yourself to another pastry."

I did, a little reluctantly, even though I was famished. Mother took one, too, and a little more champagne. I watched her closely as she watched Le'Kruune, her eye unblinking and completely void of expression. I couldn't even begin to read into her just then; whether she was upset or worried or happy I had no idea. I knew my own feelings were easy to read. I was terrified; Le'Kruune had found the ZY, and it was on its way up already for him to view. Soon he would have all the input needed to finish his matter collapser, then he would be on his way to Turo to start making demands on the Federation. And what of Mother and myself? Would we remain his prisoners? Would he honor his word and release us? Or would he simply eliminate us altogether? Thinking about that, I was even more terrified… our fate lay in the twisted claws of this horned devil.

I must have been trembling, because Mother laid a hand on my knee just then to calm me. She gave me a quick sideways glance, and I knew she had another ace up her sleeve. What that ace was exactly, I couldn't even begin to guess. She sipped her champagne, looking thoughtful. Le'Kruune must have noticed, for he began to stare at her with rapt interest in his dark eyes. He cleared his throat dramatically, calling our attention to him. He rose majestically to his cloven feet, his long black and gold-trimmed cape cascading to the floor. He stood up straight and very tall, as impressive and intimidating a leader as ever, striking fear in the hearts of the Kaizaxx themselves. Indeed, he even had the largest set of antlers I'd seen on any of them so far, and I wondered for a moment if they were a status symbol in his kind. He smiled at us serenely, but did not show his ugly, discolored teeth for once. He looked at me first, regarding me, before turning his eyes to my mother.

"Well, Vay, I must say this has been a very pleasant reunion. We all got a little something out of it, and now it's over. But it doesn't have to end here, my dear. Oh, no. In fact, I have a proposition for you…one I think you'll find very hard to refuse." he said as he reached into a small purse on his belt and pulled out a little black box. Holding it in one hand, he bent over double and took Mom's hand in the other, bringing his face very close to hers. For a second I thought he was going to kiss her, but instead he said something that made my heart jump up into my throat.

"Marry me, Vay."

Mother's eye widened in shock. "What?"

"Give yourself to me, and I will give you a life most women can only dream about. You will have riches, and power, and the secret to my invincibility will be yours. Your son shall have this, as well, and he will be granted freedom and complete immunity. No longer shall he have to suffer at the hands of the Kaizaxx, or anyone else for that matter. You will both live in bliss and perfection, so long as you honor and obey me like a good wife should. The hour of truth is at hand… soon the Kaizaxx shall seize control of Federation space and regions beyond, and I want YOU to be the beautiful woman at my side when it happens."

I couldn't believe this. I stood there staring at the both of them in absolute shock. Mother seemed to have recovered a little already. She was looking down at the floor, apparently thinking. Her eye drifted to the little black box Le'Kruune held in his hand, before looking up into his face. She took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly, then reached a hand up to brush her bangs out of her eyes. After a long moment, she finally spoke.

"And what if I reject your proposal?" 

At this, Le'Kruune stood up straight and chuckled. "Somehow, my dear, I seriously doubt you will do that." He folded his arms behind his back and started to stroll around aimlessly. "You see, I knew you'd be asking me, 'why the hell should I marry you?' or something to that effect. That's why I came up with the perfect alternative answer." He was behind the couch now, and this made me nervous, so I watched over my shoulder as he paused and looked down at us. 

"I apologize in advance for what I am about to do, but really, I find a live demonstration to be the best way of illustrating my point. Pleakley, if you would be so kind as to volunteer -" at the sound of my name, I started, but without even giving me a chance to reply, Le'Kruune seized me by the neck and lifted me up into the air. He held me in a firm grip, though not too firm as to asphyxiate me. Mother was up in an instant and standing on the back of the couch, ready to launch herself at my captor. Le'Kruune took a few steps backward and held up his other hand. In it was the black box, and as he turned it over with his fingers it started to change shape, revealing its true form. Le'Kruune now held a tazer in his hand, and with the flick of a switch the blue current of electricity began to warm up for my torture.

"NOOO!" Mother screamed, jumping down off the couch and standing just a few feet in front of us. Le'Kruune jabbed the tazer toward her threateningly, then laughed.

"Dear God, woman! You're so charmingly melodramatic! NOOO!!!" _he yelled in a mocking feminine voice and laughed again. "I haven't even gotten to the best part yet… the part where I make your son give his most 'shocking' performance!" He laughed hideously at his joke as he jabbed the tazer into my side. I shrieked, then tried to stifle it as he brought the device to different parts of my body. Mother was screaming again, but she sounded far away. Light and vision began to fade, and then I felt myself falling for a long time. I must have blacked out during the course of that fall, because I never even felt myself hitting the floor. I woke up, only moments later, laying on the carpet of Le'Kruune's private suite. Mother was kneeling over me, and I felt something warm and wet splash against my face. A tear. Mom was crying, though she seemed relieved that I had regained consciousness. I lifted a hand up to my throbbing temple and winced at the fresh second-degree burn there. My vision was still blurred, and past my mom everything was shapeless and dark. A towering, ominous figure loomed behind her, and it took me a moment to realize it was Le'Kruune. He was saying something, but all I could hear just then was gibberish. Mother responded, but I couldn't understand her, either. She sounded remarkably calm in spite of what had just happened. They spoke like this for about a minute, my senses tuning in and out as I recovered slowly from the shocking. Still their words did not make any sense, and I began to realize that they were speaking in a different language, probably Le'Kruune's native tongue. Mother knew at least twice as many languages as I did, and I knew nearly a dozen. As my strength returned, I struggled to sit up._

"Momm -"

Mother turned to look at me and I knew - I don't know how I knew it, but I knew - she had accepted Le'Kruune's proposal for marriage. Of course she would_, I thought. _She loves me and would do anything to protect me_. I had to look away just then, for the tears were already starting to fall from my own eye. _Damn you, Le'Kruune, _I seethed. Then I felt Mother's strong arms surrounding me, but suddenly I was in no mood to return the embrace. _Damn you, too, Mom. _I felt my insides writhe in a struggle between love and hate for this woman - this very woman who had carried and given birth to me… who had sold herself on numerous occasions just to make enough money to keep me alive…who had come to my rescue each and every time the bigger kids picked on me in school… who spent long years and mounds of hard-earned cash on my education…who stood by my side and defended me against the Council…who rushed to my rescue and then sold herself to the same man all over again…and who never asked for a single thing in return…all because she loved me. I wanted to die then. In spite of all she had done to keep me alive so far, I wanted to die. I didn't care what happened anymore. Nothing should be worth all this pain, and certainly not ME. After all Mom had gone through, it should have been my turn to protect her, but she was too stubborn to allow it._

There was no time to think about this, because just then there was an emergency broadcast over the intercom. 

"FEDERATION FORCES DETECTED IN BETA QUADRANT C-13. INCOMING TRANSMISSION FROM GALACTIC COUNCIL IMMINENT. REQUESTING HIS HIGHNESS HORSTHAR EVETH XEYJII LE'KRUUNE TO MAIN CONTROL ROOM." 

I got to my feet, heart and mind racing with anxiety. Perhaps this was our ticket out of here! Le'Kruune had other prisoners aboard this ship, or so I'd heard. Maybe the council knew about them, knew about US, and were coming to negotiate for our release. Mother seized my arm, pulling me close despite my burns. Le'Kruune looked wholly annoyed by the message, and the prospect of having to go all the way down to the control room to speak with the council.

"If it isn't one thing, it's another," he sighed, straightening his suit and checking his reflection in a nearby mirror before heading down to the bridge. He was halfway to the door when he turned sharply and said, "Well come on, then! If those trog-fuckers want to barter for an exchange, I need something to show for it! I'm sure they'll pay handsomely for a decorated first class agent like you, Vay."

Mother looked livid. "What am I now, your bride or your bitch?!!"

Le'Kruune grinned smugly as we exited his suite. "You can be both, if you wish. Just because I say I'm willing to trade you and your son for armaments doesn't mean I'm going to hold up my end of the bargain. I've dealt with your council of intergalactic imbeciles before… I was an elite member, so I know exactly where all the convenient little loopholes and weak spots lie."

"An elite member," Mother snorted. "Then that must have made you the Grand Imbecile of them all!"

Le'Kruune chuckled. "Yes. I suppose it did. Well, it looks like we've got another reunion coming up! We're all one big happy family now, aren't we?"


	23. Horsthar's Hostages

Disclaimer: I do not own Lilo & Stitch or any of the characters therein.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO:  
HORSTHAR'S HOSTAGES

__

Inside the main control room it was dark, save for all the glowing surveillance screens and monitors. The large, thirty-foot-high screen reserved for incoming transmissions was bright blue, and on the opposite side of the room, where we were, was an upper level that faced the screen and looked down on the rest of the room. This upper level was the only part of the enormous control room that was lit up. Le'Kruune stood at the edge of it and rested his hands on the railing, watching the screen. For a long minute, there was silence, save for a few whispers and the tapping of keys on the consoles below. Mother and I stood about ten feet behind the Kaizaxx leader, flanked by four guards. Finally, the blue of the screen before us flickered, replaced momentarily by the blue face of the Grand councilwoman. Her slanted dark eyes were fiery as they surveyed her rival, Le'Kruune. Suddenly I noticed the shocking similarity between the two leaders, and was dumbfounded. Aside from their coloring, and Le'Kruune's extra fingers and claws, and the prominent antlers in the males of his species, he and the Grand councilwoman looked very much alike. I had little time to wonder if they were related in some way, because just then the Grand councilwoman was addressing our captor. 

"Horsthar Le'Kruune, this is ZaiLeia Miik of the Galactic Alliance. We have you surrounded. You are hereby ordered to surrender, and to hand over your hostages without delay."

There was snickering down below, which grew louder as Le'Kruune himself laughed at the council's demand. 

"Oh, I'm sorry! You were serious, weren't you?" he asked gleefully. "Alright, I'll play along…however, you seem to be forgetting that the high card is in MY hand, and the stakes are innocent lives."

He snapped a finger and two guards dragged us both forward into the light. "As you can see, I have a lovely pair right here, and I'm not about to fold. Agent Vay Pleakley, and her son, convicted criminal and FORMER Agent, Wendy Pleakley." The guards let go of us and retreated back into the shadows. Le'Kruune laid clawed hands on our shoulders and smiled at the screen, as if posing for a picture. The Grand councilwoman did not look pleased to see us. Not that she didn't care about our lives, of course. It was the stiff poker face that all leaders must wear at times like this.

"I am NOT here to play games, Horsthar!" she snarled, and I was surprised. I had never heard anyone call Le'Kruune by his first name before, not even Mom. Everyone aboard the Kaizaxx ship referred to him as "Your Highness," or "Sir," while most of the galaxy used either his full name or simply Le'Kruune. I began to wonder if there was more to these two leaders than meets the eye. Her Highness, ZaiLeia Miik, had served on the council for a very long time… since before I was born. So of course she had known Le'Kruune from when he had been a council member himself. But then, the very idea of these two having anything to do with each other outside of a professional relationship was preposterous. Beyond their identical physical features, there were other, more subtle, likenesses… leadership qualities, if you will…that fiery look in the eye, a certain ferocity of character, diplomatic charisma, and extraordinary skills in battle. Not to go off-topic here, but I had heard stories about the revered Grand councilwoman… graphic, intense tales not for the weak at heart. Looking at her it was very hard to believe those stories. Though she had a severe affect, most people could not picture her as the vicious warrior she was proclaimed to be.

_ZaiLeia and Le'Kruune argued heatedly for several minutes over each other's demands before Le'Kruune startled everyone in sight by snatching up my mother and slamming a plasma cannon against her head. I screamed and a guard stepped forward and pulled me back, out of the small ring of light Le'Kruune was standing in. In the awful silence that followed, Le'Kruune was breathing heavily, his reddish skin glowing with an intensity that suggested heat. He was enraged, his razor-like teeth bared in the most hideous snarl he could muster. He held my mother up by the scruff of her neck, his gun half-buried in her hair as he glared up at the thirty-foot-high image of his nemesis._

_"Give me one good reason," he hissed through clenched teeth, "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't blow her frigging head off!!!"_

My heart thudded painfully in my throat as I watched. Mother remained perfectly still, but I could not see her face. The Grand councilwoman didn't look the slightest bit worried about my mother's life. For a split second, I could have sworn that she was fighting down a smile.

"Because it would just be a childish attempt to get something that you shall never have!" she told him. "I know you better than that, Horsthar. A lot better. You won't kill someone like Agent Vay outright unless you're certain that there is something to be gained by it. And I can tell you now; the only thing to be gained by murdering her is an immediate open fire on your ship from all sides. Is that a risk you are really willing to take right now? Or shall we continue to barter for something that's actually WORTH fighting about?"

At this, Le'Kruune let out a blood-curdling growl. Without warning, he hurled Mother aside and stuffed the plasma cannon back into his belt. "You win this round, bitch!" he snarled as he smoothed his suit. "I'll see you strapped to a dissection table when we're through! Not that that's such a terrible fate… you don't even have the GUTS to open fire on the Kaizaxx!!!" he chuckled at his sick joke.

"There's a big difference between guts and brains, Horsthar," she told him, completely unnerved by his words. "I won't open fire while there are innocent lives at stake. That is why we are here in the first place: to negotiate their release into Federation custody."

"And to try to trick me into surrendering!!!" Le'Kruune yelled, looking insane, infuriated and triumphant all at once. "You really expect me to fall for that, do you, Zai? What kind of an imbecile do you take me for?!!"

"The best we ever had," she replied, smiling fondly at him.

"Go fuck yourself, you withered old she-trog!" Le'Kruune spat. Then his demeanor changed, and a wicked smile spread across his face. "Unless you would like ME to do the honors?" 

The Grand councilwoman didn't dignify him with a response, but for a split second, something in her stone-like façade seemed to falter, and my intestinal tract constricted into knots as I realized the implications of Le'Kruune's suggestion. ZaiLeia Miik, leader of the Galactic Alliance, and Horsthar What's-His-Names Le'Kruune, leader of the Kaizaxx?!! The thought sickened me. How could she -? But then, that was a long time ago, I reminded myself. Le'Kruune wasn't a bad guy back then… actually, he WAS, but no one had known it. ZaiLeia was no different than my mother when it came to this man… this MONSTER, I should say. I didn't know her story, and I didn't want to. She was a good leader, and that was more than enough to pardon her questionable history with Le'Kruune. Still, it really makes one stop and think about the crookedness of politics…

* * * *

As of 11-14-03, I have edited several chapters, changing Pleakley's name to Wendy wherever appropriate. As most of you know by now, the November 7th episode of "Lilo and Stitch the series" revealed Pleakley's first name to be Wendy, and so I have decided to make changes to all my stories accordingly. Although Le'Kruune is still calling him by his surname, his mother Vay will, of course, be referring to him as Wendy from now on. Before Nov. 7th, my full name for Pleakley was Pleakley Nn- Llewellyn-Xinth-Vay, indicating that surnames in his people's society are derived from ancestral first names, in this case, his mother, hence the last part, Vay. As Vay's last name happens to be very similar, Nn-Llewellyn-Xinth-Hanilah, you can assume that Hanilah was _her_ mother's name, and that the rest which she shares with her son is based on the name or names of a common ancestor. Also, I decided that their society was matriarchal (in other words, female-dominated, which explains the mother's names in the last names of the offspring). Not that any of this did any good, since Chris Sanders and the gang cleared the whole name thing up for me by announcing Pleakley's real name. Tis probably for the best, since I only had the whole surname/ancestor thing only partially worked out. Besides, I just LOVE the name Wendy for Pleakley! IMO, it suits him perfectly!!!


	24. The Hour of Truth

Disclaimer: I do not own "Lilo & Stitch" or any of the characters therein.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE:  
THE HOUR OF TRUTH

_The negotiations were not going very well at all… both the Grand councilwoman and Le'Kruune were inflexible in their demands toward the other. I wondered whether the argument was more motivated by their past relationship than by the current situation. After Mother had been tossed aside, she had gotten up and joined me at a safe distance behind the Kaizaxx leader. She said nothing to me the whole time. She did not even look at me, although she squeezed my hand tightly until our palms began to sweat. I had a strong urge to throw my arms around her and hold on for dear life, but I resisted in light of our surroundings. At the least, I wished to ask her what she was thinking then, for I recognized clearly the signs of her clever mind at work on a plan. I remained silent. I did not receive a single hint to her thoughts until one of Le'Kruune's mechanics arrived on the bridge bearing a small metal device. The ZY drive! My heart leapt into my throat for a second before plummeting like a stone into the pit of my stomach. God only knew what Le'Kruune might demand of the Alliance now that he had his precious input restored. As the mechanic handed over the ZY, I sensed a subtle change in my mom, though what it was exactly, I could not tell. Glancing sideways at her, she was completely unreadable. For all I knew, she might have been petrified or ready to leap for joy. Le'Kruune took the ZY and held it up for the Grand councilwoman to see. He proudly explained what it contained, and proceeded to load the device into the drive on a nearby consul. _

Above and behind us the wall opened up to reveal a large screen, at least half the size of the one facing it, from which the Grand councilwoman watched disinterestedly. As the input began to download, Mother squeezed my hand, so gently that one might have regarded it as a reflex, but I knew it to be a signal. With baited breath, I watched the screen. To my and everyone else's absolute shock, a large eye appeared on the screen. A child's laugh was heard on the audio. The eye blinked twice and began to shrink. As it did, the rest of the face came into view, revealing a small, greenish, and very familiar-looking child…I gasped. It was ME!!! I watched, half in horror, as my two-year-old image toddled clumsily on three skinny legs over toward my much-younger mother, who picked me up and tickled me viciously. My high-pitched laughter squealed over the intercom. Over this I could hear some of the guards snickering. I just stood there, gaping in shock. What was a home video of myself as a baby doing on the ZY drive? I looked at Mom questioningly. She merely smiled and continued to watch the screen. 

"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!!" demanded Le'Kruune, swinging around to face us. Mom looked up at him calmly and shrugged. Le'Kruune snarled hideously, breathing through his teeth and making little hissing noises. He stepped toward us and bent down until he was eye-level with Mom. "Where is it?" he growled through clenched teeth. "What have you done with my input? TELL ME NOW!!!" and without warning he grabbed her up and shook her violently.

"I TOLD you… I destroyed it! I had no use for it, and neither does the Federation! None of us has any right to the kind of knowledge that can annihilate entire galaxies with the simplicity of pushing a button!"

Le'Kruune seethed. "Then what the hell is THIS?!! Some kind of joke?" He gestured toward the screen, where my younger self was now gorging on pudding. As if in response to Le'Kruune, the child blew a loud raspberry with both tongues and a mouth full of pudding, thereby spraying green goo all over the camera lens. The control room erupted in gales of laughter at the scene. Glancing over at the opposite screen, I was stunned to see the Grand councilwoman smiling broadly. Le'Kruune ignored all this, shaking Mother all the harder.

"This is obviously some kind of a trick! You expect me to believe that you would destroy the input when it would have been crucial evidence at Wendy's appeal?!!"

"Well, in fact, yes." Mother replied calmly, even smiling a little at him. "I couldn't let that kind of dangerous information fall back into Federation hands, or anyone else's hands for that matter, and so for evidence I brought the next best thing: documented footage of my son as the innocent, loving person that he is. Bet you would never have thought of THAT for your trial!"

"There isn't going to be a trial, because I'm through with the whole lot of you!!!" and with that he threw Mother aside and ripped the ZY out of the drive in the consul, then proceeded to tear it apart with his own teeth. Bits of metal fell to the floor, although I was sure he had swallowed half of it. When he was done with his tantrum, he attacked Mom again, striking her mercilessly across the face with his open hands. His claws raked against her skin, drawing long gashes filled with blood. I screamed, throwing myself forward to protect her, but two Kaizaxx guards seized me by the arms and held me back. Mother flew backward, hitting the floor hard from the force of Le'Kruune's blows. She barely picked herself up when he kicked her in the side. The cloven hoofs of his feet left a deep impression from which blood began to ooze. Mother grabbed her side and tried to crawl away. She was winded, and gasped for air. Blood flew from her mouth as she coughed. Somewhere far away, the Grand councilwoman was swearing furiously at Le'Kruune, who ignored her completely. He kicked Mom again, this time in the back of the head. She rolled across the floor and lay still, clinging to consciousness. He stood over her sneering, then bent down and picked her up roughly by the hair and antenna. Mother shrieked and squirmed. With his other hand, Le'Kruune lifted her chin, forcing her to look at him before clamping his jaws firmly over hers. Her already blackened eye widened in terror as she attempted to scream. The sound was muffled. I watched, horrified, as blood began to leak out from the corners of her mouth. She swung her fists out blindly, catching parts of her tormenter on the end of them a few times, but her strength was diminished and so her punches had no effect. He pulled back finally, licking her blood from his lips and grinning hungrily at her. Mother was trembling violently now as Le'Kruune sank his fangs into her chest and arm. Her shirt was now drenched in blood.

BOOM!!! A thunderous bolt struck the Kaizaxx ship just then, causing it to shudder. I fell to the floor and flung my arms up over my head, expecting the worst. After a long moment of nothing, I looked up. Le'Kruune had dropped my mom, and she landed limply on the cold titanium floor. Everyone was now staring up at the enormous image of the Grand councilwoman, who looked positively enraged.

"THAT, Horsthar, was merely a warning shot! Surrender your hostages at once, and I will not feel the necessity to fire a second time. What you have done to Agent Vay will not go unpunished. However, seeing as she has punished you well enough by destroying your precious weapons input, I am willing to settle for a simple relinquishment of prisoners for now."

Le'Kruune knew he stood no chance against the Federation at this point. The whole armada had him surrounded, and the knowledge to construct his matter collapser was lost. He surrendered, but he did it in a highly dignified manner that suggested that the Federation was at HIS mercy, instead of vice versa. He managed to avoid capture, of course, but not before all of his hostages were seen safely into Federation custody. I was not reunited with Mother until after we were taken back to Federation Headquarters on Turo. Because of her condition, she had to be rushed in for emergency treatment, and it was a whole day before I was allowed in to see her. I was already in the hospital myself, being treated for various wounds resulting from my torture. When I went in to see her, I had expected to be horrified, but instead I was relieved, as she appeared to be much better than I had anticipated. Aside from her dark, swollen eye, the raw corners of her mouth, and a few stitches in the side of her head, she seemed perfectly normal, in body and in spirit. I marveled at her strength for endurance, but could not bring myself to admit it out loud. I cried in her arms for a while, mostly out of exhaustion for the whole ordeal, and when I looked up, I was surprised to see that she was smiling. There was that clever look again! Naturally, I had to inquire about it. In truth, there was a lot I wanted to ask her about, like the input on the ZY. This she explained to me with an eagerness that said she had been waiting for me to ask.

"Oh, that baby footage of you was all a ruse. A cover-up. I deleted a small, useless portion of the original weapons input from the drive and uploaded one of our old home videos to fill it in. It was a precaution in case it happened to fall into the wrong hands. And it worked! As soon as Le'Kruune saw it, he regarded it as junk and destroyed the input himself! In my opinion, it couldn't have worked out more perfectly."

I was amazed. I couldn't believe it. Mother had done it again! And she was right, too. It HAD been perfect… up until the point where he attacked her, that is. Scenes from that horrible nightmare came back to haunt me just then, and I shivered.

"Mom -," I began, but my voice caught in my throat and I had to look away from her. The bruises and bite marks still stood as a glaring reminder of Le'Kruune, and remembering our time aboard the Kaizaxx ship made me sick to my stomach. I just wanted to forget it and go on with my life. I wanted to be strong like my mom, FOR my mom, but I knew that no amount of self-assurance could make that possible. I wasn't anything like her, but I thanked our lucky stars that she wasn't anything like ME. If she was, then she probably would have gone insane long ago or killed herself. I don't know. All I DO know is, I wouldn't be where I am now without her. Throughout all of this, she has had enough strength for the both of us, but even that could not turn my thoughts from the fact that she has suffered needlessly because of me. I had to avenge her somehow.

"Mom," I began again, fighting back a sob. "Mom, I'm so sorry I -" I stopped. I had been about to say that I was sorry for putting her through this, but I knew all I would get in return was a stern reprimand for blaming myself, before she went out on a tangent about loving me too much to care. I changed course then, and made the following promise: "I swear to you, Mom, I will not let Le'Kruune get away with this. He will DIE, but he will suffer first, for all he's done to you. I will make sure of that. And I will not rest until I see his dismembered carcass rotting on some desert trashteroid.**"

* * * *

Phew! What an exhausting update! I'm sorry it's not as detailed in parts as it ought to be, and I am IMMENSELY sorry for what I allowed Le'Kruune to do to Vay, but she is a strong, remarkable woman, and you know that neither she nor Wendy will let that a--hole get away with hurting the other one. **Trashteroid** is a word I just made up, and if you can't guess what it means, then let me enlighten you: a combination of the words 'trash' and 'asteroid,' it refers to an asteroid that is used as a garbage dump, particularly for deep space travelers. Instead of jettisoning their refuse into space, they leave it on certain asteroids to avoid having floating debris all over the place that would ordinarily splatter against their ships and get them all dirty. Pretty clever, eh? Back to the story now… this chapter signals the end of the flashbacks, and with my next update, I will be bringing everything back up to the present, addressing such issues as where Wendy is now, where Vay is, what the Kaizaxx are plotting, and what Lilo and the gang are going through after reading Wendy's diary. To those of you who are used to calling him Pleakley: sorry, but I am now used to calling him Wendy, so please bear with me… I just love the name Wendy for him! It's perfect! I still can't get over that Fibber episode! Okay, I'll shut up now and post this chapter. Please, please, PLEASE R&R!!!


	25. Turning the Pages

Disclaimer: I do not own "Lilo & Stitch" or any of the characters therein.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR:  
TURNING THE PAGES

"This is news most alarming to me. To learn that Pleakley has such tragic past… (sigh) I vill never take the little stick figure for granted again." Jumba mumbled over the little black book that chronicled his buddy's life at the kitchen table late one night. Nani sat across from him, staring morosely into the steam swirling up from her cup of coffee. It had now been a week and a half since Pleakley had been relocated to Cambria, California under the protection of Cobra Bubbles. To his ohana back on Kauai, it had seemed like much longer, and the effects of his absence had taken a dire toll on them all. Lilo had become a complete recluse, walling herself up from the world around her, only opening up to others just enough to answer important questions and to communicate her wants and needs. Stitch was doing pretty much the same, although Jumba had noted that he was also beginning to regress to a more primitive state, behaving more and more like an Earth dog. He was hardly even speaking anymore, in English or in Turian. As for Jumba himself, surprisingly, he had abandoned his natural inclination to stay down in his lab twenty-four/seven, and instead spent a good portion of his days as a couch potato, watching everything from _"Blue's Clues"_ to _"Wheel of Fortune"_ to _"The Twilight Zone."_ In between certain shows he would continue to read Pleakley's diary, picking over the entries and rewording them so as to make them appropriate to read to the ever-persistent Lilo. Every day after school she would come rushing into the living room and dive onto the couch, ready for the latest installment in 'Pleakley's Story.' This was the only time she would truly come alive. As soon as the day's entry was done, she would return to her sullen state and retreat to her room with Stitch, and the two of them would not be seen or heard from again until suppertime. As for Nani, she had decided to put up an indifferent façade, pretending for everyone else that Pleakley's past and his absence were of little meaning to her. For Lilo, she pretended to be strong, insisting that no one should worry about him, that everything would work out alright in the end, even though she knew it could never be that simple. Over the past few days, she had learned of the many complexities of her alien friend, and it sickened her to realize how she had always taken him for granted as a neurotic nobody. David often came to visit her, at home and at work, knowing full well how she really felt, and wishing to comfort her. Though, being the inarticulate person that he was, there was usually very little he could offer in the way of verbal sympathy. 

"I feel terrible now for what I said to him last month," Nani muttered before taking a sip of her coffee. 

Jumba looked up from the book questioningly. "And vhat vas that exactly?" he asked her.

"I told him he wasn't family."

For a long moment, there was silence, as Jumba continued to stare at her, waiting for her to offer an explanation.

"It was on the anniversary of our parents' passing," she whispered, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye. "I was going to take Lilo to the cemetery to visit their graves, but she didn't want to go. Actually, she just wanted to go by herself… you know, to be alone with them, but the cemetery's about twenty miles away, so we didn't have time to argue about it. I promised her I would let her have some time alone when we got there, but she was still upset and insisted on staying here. Well, we got into a huge argument, anyway, and then Pleakley comes along and calls us both insensitive and says we shouldn't be fighting on this particular day, so we stopped. Lilo still didn't want to go, so I told her I didn't want to go, either, if it meant having to go alone, so then Pleakley volunteered to go with me. He didn't know I had said that just to get Lilo to go, and Lilo finally decided to go once she heard him volunteer. I let Pleakley come along anyway, as it was the only way to get Lilo to go. When we got there, Pleakley started to follow us into the cemetery, and Lilo got mad and told him to go back and wait in the car because it was strictly a family thing. Naturally, he got a little offended, and I told Lilo that that was rude, and we started arguing again, and then Lilo started crying, and in the end I agreed with her and told Pleakley to go back and wait for us. I could tell he was hurt by that, and I never apologized to him. I was just so upset myself at the time… about our fighting, and Lilo's feelings, and our parents… I said some things I shouldn't have said, and in a tone I shouldn't have used. I think what hurt him the most was when I told him he wasn't family, and that he could never understand the pain we were feeling." Nani paused then to take in a deep breath, then expelled it in the deepest of sighs. "God, why did I say that? Why did I assume he knew nothing of pain, when he was being so sympathetic with us? On the way to the cemetery that day, I told him about our mom and dad, what they were like, and some of our best memories of them, and when I got to the end of it, with the car crash and all, I looked in the rearview mirror, and I could swear he was crying! He wanted so much to be there with us, to comfort us… and I had to do something horrible to him by telling him he wasn't family! And I never even apologized." When she finished, she sobbed, then quickly regained composure as Jumba offered his reassurance.

"I am sure he knows you didn't mean it, Earth girl. Time heals all wounds, therefore I am sure also that he has forgiven you that remark, and forgotten it."

"I don't know," Nani replied. "If it had been me, I'd still be hurting from it. And actually, at the time, I _did_ mean it. I still can't believe I said it. 'You're not family.' God, how could I be so stupid? Of course he's family! I just can't believe it's taken me so long to realize it."

At this, Jumba leaned across the table and laid his large hand over hers in an empathetic gesture. "Vhat's done is done, Nani, and nothing can be done about that. At least you finally realized these things. Some people never do. Be glad that you are not one of them." 

After a moment she looked up at him and smiled appreciatively, laying her other hand over his and giving it an affectionate squeeze. Jumba smiled back and continued scanning the pages of the diary. Having finished the portion regarding Pleakley's stay aboard the Kaizaxx ship, he had decided to keep reading in case there may be more crucial information in later entries. So far, nothing… except for the single entry that briefed Pleakley's appeal. Although there had been no tangible evidence to present (seeing as Le'Kruune had ingested part of it), a surveillance vid taken at the negotiations contained enough confessions by the Kaizaxx leader so as to turn the outcome of the appeal in Pleakley's favor. On top of his pardoning, he had been promoted to second class agent, a position which he had been holding for the past nine years without any further promotion. Sure, there were a few entries that Jumba found rather amusing, but nothing important. One entry, written about three Earth months later, described in giddy detail a date with a lovely young woman who, he wrote, reminded him of his mother. Jumba wondered if he had been foolish enough to tell her that, even though he had meant it in the most flattering way possible. She, too, had had a not-so-perfect past, one filled with pain and devastation, although Pleakley did not elaborate on it. It was only said that her remarkable strength and optimism were so much like Vay's, that he couldn't help but admire her for them. Why Jumba bothered to read about this girl was uncertain, even to himself, but when he stumbled upon a startlingly erotic passage, his attention was fully locked, and he continued.

_"She is the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, no contest. Funny, as a child, she wasn't much to look at. I'm not saying she was ugly or anything. She used to be so plain and now… now she's gorgeous! How and when that happened, I've no idea. True, I've known her for years; first as a familiar face, then as an acquaintance, then as a sort of friend. Then, all of a sudden, she blossomed. It seemed to happen the moment she first asked me out. I looked at her, stunned by her question, then by her beauty. And not just her face, of course. Suddenly I noticed other things… things which declare her a woman… a gorgeous, voluptuous woman, and I blush to write this now. Just thinking about her…those slender legs, those lovely breasts…arouses me. I just can't believe I never noticed it before. But it's not just that that I'm interested in. We've been friends for so long, I've seen the beautiful soul that lies inside that body. She is so much like Mother, and for that I could not possibly allow myself to get lost in lust and forget who she is. I long for her, body and soul, and sometimes I wonder which has the greater longing. I have never been in love before, never like this, anyway. Is this true love, then? I am so confused. All I know is, I have never felt this way about anyone. I wasn't even certain of this feeling until last night when she kissed me for the first time. Well, not the FIRST time. She had done it once before about a year ago, on a bet. She won fifty terzeks _(about twenty American dollars) _for using her tongues, but it was all done in haste and she generously decided to split her winnings with me. We never spoke of it again until last night, when she just HAD to bring it up. As for our second kiss…I have to say it went a lot better than the first one. It lasted a lot longer as well. And yes, tongues were involved, and it was magic. Pure magic. After that, I knew it had to be love."_

Eagerly, Jumba read on, watching Pleakley's passion for this woman grow by the page. One passage in particular caught his attention:

_"My body screams in agony to be near hers, and even when I'm with her, I am suffering. What is it about her that makes me want her even more when I already have her in my embrace? What is it that draws me to her like the gravitational pull of planet and star? What is it that makes my head swim with the intoxication of champagne even when I am sober? What is it that she is doing to me that makes each day in the wake of that nightmare bearable? What is it about her that makes my heart sing with such ecstasy that for once in my short and so far pointless existence, I actually WANT to live? Oh, Leera, what have you done to me? I am a wreck now, with and without you. You have called into question everything I thought I knew about the universe, and now I no longer know when I am awake and when I am dreaming. I invoke the Lord to both bless you and condemn you for the soft yet firm hand you have laid upon my heart."_

_Such deep poetry to be flowing from such tortured soul. I would never have guessed that he had it in him_, Jumba thought, taken aback by these words.From that point on, the diary talked of nothing but a girl named Leera for several entries in succession. After a while it appeared that he had been obsessed with her. Some pages here and there had been torn out, and accounts of later dates with her became less explicit in detail, as if he had been too embarrassed to write certain things. In the end, Jumba got the impression that Pleakley must have gone all the way with her. As much as he had written about this 'Leera' chick, it came as quite a surprise to Jumba that any mentioning of her stopped abruptly after nearly thirty entries. They had been dating for about four Earth months, then nothing. No pages appeared to be missing, but there was an empty space in an earlier entry where a photo of her had obviously been placed, then later removed. Jumba deducted that the relationship had gone sour and that the two had broken up. _Such is often the case with first loves_, he thought. _Probably he could not bear to remain with same girl with whom he lost virginity, especially girl who is not being virgin herself._ Going by the descriptions of her… her lack of shyness, peculiar interests, and her wild, outgoing personality, it seemed only fair to assume that she had already been around the block at least once before meeting Pleakley. After all that he had read about her, it felt oddly sad to Jumba that Pleakley had suddenly stopped writing about her, without so much as a hint why. No matter what had happened, he could not understand how such an important person in Pleakley's life could just disappear from it entirely. In a diary, of all places, one would expect to find answers, but there were none. On one page, Leera was his best friend in the universe, aside from his mother… on the next page, she was his angel, healing his scarred heart… on the next page, his better half, the light of his life, his soul mate… then on the next page… nothing. Not even a passing reference. It was as if she had ceased to exist.

For the rest of the night, Jumba could not help but wonder what had happened between them… where Leera was now… and why he even cared. It was hard to picture Pleakley as ever having been in a romantic relationship, but to picture it being ended, and so abruptly, was even harder. He continued to turn the pages, reading them over and over, combing them for more crucial information about the Kaizaxx… and for another mentioning of the mystery woman known as Leera.


	26. Transmission From the Kaizaxx

Disclaimer: I do not own "Lilo & Stitch" or any of the characters therein.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE:  
TRANSMISSION FROM THE KAIZAXX

**FLASHBACK:**

__

ZaiLeia Miik, Grand councilwoman of the Galactic Alliance, grumbled irritably for the umpteenth time as she sat with the rest of the council at yet another pointless meeting. Beside her sat Grand councilman Horsthar Le'Kruune, a similar-looking alien whose only contrasts were his reddish skin, extra fingers and two sets of antlers. Across the wide, circular table from them sat three diplomats from different planets in the Strangeand Galaxy, all requesting to join the Alliance. As theirs was a rather large and anarchic galaxy, filled with much anti-Federation sentiment, the meeting was being held in secret, so as to protect the diplomats from violent protestors. The meeting was nearly over now, as the third diplomat, a timid, spineless little one-eyed creature, rose to make his closing statement before signing his allegiance to the Federation. Le'Kruune watched the smaller alien with a smug smile on his thin lips. Momentarily he leaned over toward ZaiLeia and whispered, "That little bugger is the only thing that's made this meeting worth my time. Listen to him stutter! As if that weren't amusing enough, try wondering how he even became a diplomat in the first place! If his people think he's diplomatic material, then imagine what the rest of them must be like! No wonder they're seeking allegiance with us! They should have been wiped out millenniums ago without our backing. Personally, I'm shocked that this guy's worked up the guts to come to Turo in the first place! Talk about spineless!"

Annoyed, ZaiLeia gave him a stern sideways glance. "You know, Horsthar," she mumbled, "you wouldn't be half the man you claim to be if you had to ooze along through life as a monocular invertebrate, sensitive to practically everything and everyone that comes your way, so I suggest you zip it for once, before you let slip something that you will regret for the rest of your life!"

Hardly taken aback by these words, Le'Kruune merely smiled and nodded in agreement. "As you say, my dear. As you say. You do remember our little wager, I assume? Regarding the outcome of this meeting?"

Once again, the Grand councilwoman growled. She felt a clawed hand on her leg and tensed, flashing her colleague the deadliest of looks. Le'Kruune wasn't fazed in the least. Instead of removing his hand, he let it wander up and down her thigh in a teasing caress. He leaned toward her again and said, "If the little tubeworm backs out on Article Twenty-Seven, I get lucky tonight."

"He won't back out," ZaiLeia whispered, watching the little one-eyed diplomat from Eiros Sans as he read over the treaty. "While he may not agree to surrender up to seventy-five percent of his planet's resources during an intergalactic emergency, his people have far worse to contend with if they don't have the Federation's protection, and he knows this. Therefore, he will sign."

"Well, believe what you want, but I doubt he'll be taking it all in stride. He's bound to say something about it before he signs. That is, IF he signs. And if he so much as winces at Article Twenty-Seven, I win the wager, and you know what that means…" he grinned wickedly, awaiting her response.

She glanced back at him, looking irritable. "You get lucky," she said in a mockery of his earlier intonation of lust.

Le'Kruune smiled smugly, turning to watch the diplomat again. "Damn straight."

ZaiLeia shook her head and mumbled, "Yeah, lucky that I don't put you in traction before the night is through."

Whether or not Le'Kruune heard that last remark is uncertain. He simply continued to observe the diplomat with a pleasant look on his face, while under the table his long, muscular hand continued to fondle his colleague's thigh.

* * * *

****

PRESENT:

ZaiLeia Miik sat quietly in her office, reclining in a high-back upholstered chair, resting fitfully. Dull pain throbbed intermittently in her side, though this was the least of her troubles. Results of the most recent assassination attempt lay in the long, thin gash of a laser shot that had grazed her right flank and had put her in an ICU for two days. Having just been discharged from the hospital that morning, she had gone straight back to work at Federation Headquarters, the scene of her near-death experience, against doctor's orders. Although it had not been officially determined, it was largely believed that the assassin had been a Kaizaxx member, specifically one of Le'Kruune's elite Rapturian mercenaries. How he had gotten past security was beyond anyone's guessing, although it was also believed that one or more diplomats from the Neverun galaxy held secret allaegiance with the Kaizaxx, and had therefore set up the attempt on the Grand councilwoman's life. Why they had decided to target _her_ in particular was a mystery to all except ZaiLeia herself. If it had indeed been the doing of the Kaizaxx, then it was quite obvious why Le'Kruune would want to take her down first. She had been the one who had cost him his position on the Council, and she alone had known things about him that would not do him well to leak out into the general public. These things ranged from lethal food allergies to embarrassing personal details of a sexual nature, some things that even Vay Pleakley didn't know. ZaiLeia had long ago learned of the 'business transactions' between her and Le'Kruune, and was no more disgusted or angry with Vay than she was shocked at Le'Kruune, even though it had been going on at the same time as her own affair with him. The horny bastard had an unquenchable thirst, and it was highly likely that he had raped several woman over the years, though this of course could not be proven. It was rumored that he even had a small harem of wives, all Kaizaxx, back on his home planet, although he had not made use of them in ages. Once he found satisfaction with a particular sex object, he grew bored of her quickly and began to hunt for something new. Such was the case for all the females he had used and abused in his life, with the exception of Vay Pleakley. What was it about her that continued to arouse his lust after more than thirty years? Though she had forged a sort of friendship with the illustrious agent, she still could not understand what all the fuss had been about.

ZaiLeia chose not to think about this anymore, knowing that it was really none of her business, and instead wondered what the hell had happened three days earlier. All she remembered from that day was approaching the platform to deliver a briefing on an electrical disturbance in the Glarce nebula that some had thought to be terrorist activity, when a white-hot pain in her side caused her to double over. Hitting her head on the platform, she had grown dizzy and blacked out, clutching her wounded side as the blood gushed through her fingers. She had regained consciousness hours later in a post-op intensive care unit, the laser gash in her side already scarred over from a procedure which accelerates tissue restoration, the closest thing to the Kaizaxx' secret molecular map project that the Federation could attain. Even with the new skin tissue in place, the area was still as delicate as though it had been stitched, and she had been strongly advised against any physical activity beyond walking. In her pride and determination, she had ignored these warnings, and had surprised the entire Council by returning to work only three days after her bloody brush with death.

* * * *

**FLASHBACK:**

__

Fifteen minutes later the assembly room was empty, as council members and diplomats alike all departed for their private suites to retire for the night. ZaiLeia Miik and Horsthar Le'Kruune strolled side by side down a deserted corridor, as both their rooms were located in the same sector and were practically next door to each other. As they neared their quarters, Le'Kruune tried to slip an arm around her waist, but just then she quickened her pace and remained at arm's length from him until she reached her door. The door to his own room was just across the corridor, facing hers. As she searched through the compartments on her belt for her cardkey, Le'Kruune leaned against the wall with his arms folded and said seductively, "So, your place or mine?"

ZaiLeia located her cardkey and proceeded to open the door with it. "Neither," she said flatly. 

"Okay, babe. Whatever you want. We can just do it right here in the hall, then!" he said as he came up behind her and seized her by the waist, pulling her close. She gasped, then swung around to push him away, but he held her firmly, sealing his mouth over hers and pressing her up against the wall. She opened her own mouth to protest, but her words were silenced as he deepened the kiss. Far from being subdued by this, ZaiLeia pounded her fists against his chest, trying to beat him off, then quickly resorted to slapping him across the face. That did the trick. Le'Kruune broke the kiss and stepped back, looking stunned. Thoroughly disgruntled, ZaiLeia straightened her suit and said, without looking at him, "Dammit, Horsthar, you lost the wager! Don't be a sore loser! Gangley signed… it's a done deal… you lost… now get over it and go flog your trog, because you're not getting lucky tonight, or anytime soon, if you even think about doing that again!" And without another word she entered her room, shutting the door behind her.

Alone in the hall, Le'Kruune stood staring at her door, a wicked little grin playing on his lips. "Bitch," he said, almost fondly, before turning toward his own door. "Say what you want, my succulent little stiin'amae… but I'll be damned if I don't get any before tomorrow's summit. And next time I doubt you'll be able to refuse me. I was a diplomat myself once… and only a true diplomat can tell you to go to Hell in such a way that you actually look forward to the trip."

* * * *

**PRESENT:**

"YELLOW ALERT! THIS IS A YELLOW ALERT! INCOMING TRANSMISSION FROM THE KAIZAXX! REQUESTING GRAND COUNCILWOMAN ZAILEIA MIIK TO COMMUNICATIONS SECTOR 3-12 IMMEDIATELY!" 

As the frightened feminine voice shrilled over the intercom, ZaiLeia groaned. A sharp pain flared up in her side and quickly faded, but it was enough to get her on her feet and out the door. Now absolutely certain that it had been Le'Kruune who had sent her assassin, she would not hesitate to greet him herself, and have it out with him. A technician met her a little way down the corridor with a hover chair, and proceeded to escort her down to 3-12 in it. With some reluctance, she had accepted the help, even though her throbbing wound would not have permitted her to move any faster than a light stride. Once inside Communications, she was greeted by the twenty-five foot high image of her rival, looking as pleasant as ever. 

"Why, Zai, whatever has happened to you?" he asked in feigned shock upon noticing her hover chair.

"You know damn well what happened to me!" she growled back, baring her teeth. "And don't you dare play the innocence card! I know it was one of _your_ mercenaries that tried to kill me! And don't tell me you didn't give him the order, either! I'm onto you, Horsthar, and I won't rest until your Kaizaxx crusade has ended and the whole lot of you are executed! And when that day comes, I am going to put you in your proper place by mounting your horny head over a mantle!"

Several council members gasped at the ferocity of her words, but none appeared so shocked as Le'Kruune, although they all knew it to be his way of funning them. "Well, Zai, I must say I'm flattered! Coming from _you_, that's quite a compliment to wish to keep my severed head as a trophy. Just promise me one thing: don't let your sister's brats use my antlers as coat hangers or play ring toss with them. I find that to be very undignified." 

"I'll use them to rake up trog dung if it suits me! You can rot from the inside out for all I care, and do it slowly enough so that you may suffer horribly, like so many of your own victims!"

Le'Kruune did not seem to hear this last remark, for he was now staring past the Grand councilwoman at someone who had just entered the Communications sector. The smug smile plastered on his face caused her to turn the hover chair to the side in order to see who he was looking at. There, half concealed in shadow, her greenish skin mottled with freckles and slightly weathered-looking, long brown hair stained with wisps of silver, and her single large eye rimmed with crow's feet, stood Vay Pleakley.

__


	27. Superman

A/N: As of today, 12-16-05, lyrics to Five For Fighting's "Superman" have been removed from this chapter due to some BS rule that song lyrics can no longer be used on FFN. I am only complying with this rule so that this story does not get trashed. IMO, FFN's ruling on this matter makes absolutely no sense. After all, what are we all doing here in the first place? Song lyrics are no different from all the other media we are "borrowing" from to write our fanfics. If anyone thinks they can clarify this for me, please feel free to do so, because I just don't get it. :p

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT:  
SUPERMAN

Gazing out the screened window, Pleakley watched the sunset change from gold to gray over the Pacific ocean, the seaside pines darkening into silhouettes, and the memories of better times passing before his eye. Far, far across that great expanse of water lay the tiny island of Kauai, and on it, his ohana. _What are they doing right now?_ he wondered. _Are they thinking about me? Do they even miss me?_

Laying down on his bed, Pleakley stared morosely up at the ceiling, making pictures out of the many cracks in its plaster. All the criss-crossing lines reminded him of roads… maps… the entire ceiling was one giant map, punctuated by little specks and imperfections which his mind made into stars. It was now a map of his home galaxy, and in it he began to search for a more comforting image… his mother.

…All the wasted years… Le'Kruune had gotten away with nearly killing his mother, with degrading and abusing her, and all for the sake of _him_. And he had done nothing. He had made a promise, and had not even tried to see it through. Le'Kruune was still out there, probably doing to other women what he had done to Vay… and Leera…

He still remembered clearly the day she had confessed to him her dark past… a past that was not so very different from his own mother's, yet with far more serious implications. There had never been an agreement between Leera and Le'Kruune, only a horrifying crime of passion that should have scarred her for life, yet hadn't so much as dampened her spirit… on the outside. On the inside, however, she had to be suffering, for why else would she have chosen to take her own life?

Despite all this, there was still something, still _someone_, worth living for. Mother. And not just Mother. Jumba, Nani, Lilo and Stitch, his ohana, were all worth it in the end. And, last but not least… himself. Even if it meant living without a loved one. "We all must expect to lose someone along the way," his mom had told him after receiving news of Leera's death eight years earlier. "But we owe it to them to carry on in their place, and we owe it to those still living as well. Besides, we will all meet again at the end of our journey, and then nothing can ever separate us again. That much I am certain of."


	28. Leera, Then and Now

Disclaimer: I do not own "Lilo & Stitch" or any of the characters therein. Except Leera. And a certain _meega na la queeshta_ whom I need not mention by name (cue booing).

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN:  
LEERA, THEN AND NOW

__

Twilight fell over Iyerba in shades of neon pink, while Nimh, the smallest moon, began to rise up beside its larger siblings. Greenish clouds lay scattered near the horizon, their underbellies glowing gold in the last light of the second sun. Two Splorgnarians sat snuggling beneath a tree on a little hill, taking in the whole scene. The purple, tear-shaped leaves hung low on willowy branches, concealing the young lovers from prying eyes. With a blanket wrapped around them both, and a promising future before them, they were in Heaven. For many minutes they watched the sunset in silence, all the while taking pleasure in each other's warmth in the cool of evening. As the second sun disappeared below the horizon, the girl turned to her beau and whispered, "Wendy, are you still awake?"

Slowly, the young man turned to face her. "Of course. I'm not THAT tired, you know."

"Good. But it was a pretty hectic day, you hafta admit."

"Sure was," he yawned, stretching his arms out and draping one around her shoulders, pulling her close. 

"'Course, it was nothing compared to what our honeymoon is gonna be like," she told him, giving him a playful nudge. At this, he tensed slightly. She noticed, and frowned.

_"What's the matter? You're not getting cold feet, are you? Remember, you asked ME to marry YOU, not the other way around!"_

"Yes, but YOU were the one who asked ME out on a date! Remember that? If you had never asked, we wouldn't be here right now discussing this."

"You mean, you would never have asked me out?" she demanded.

"Most likely not," he replied, and, sensing that he might have offended her, added, "The thought never really crossed my mind. You were my friend, Leera. My best friend, even, but it never occurred to me to ask you out because I didn't even know I was in love with you until…"

"Until I confessed I was in love with YOU," she finished for him, grinning. Wendy nodded. "Well, yeah! And besides, I was never very successful with women. You know that." he added sheepishly. Leera leaned against him, nuzzling her head under his chin.

"Well, you're doing fine now," she purred. "At any rate, you're a million times the man my last was."

Again, Wendy tensed. "You mean Le'Kruune?"

At the mentioning of that name, Leera shuddered. Wendy reached a hand up to stroke her long blonde hair. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "That meega na la queeshta… I swear I'm going to KILL him for what he did to you."

With his other hand, he lifted her chin up so that she was looking him in the eye. In her own eye stood the glimmer of a tear. Mentally, Wendy cursed himself. God, why did I bring that up? Now she's hurting again. If only I could make the pain go away… 

__

"I love you, Leera. More than infinity, and longer than eternity. And I promise I will never let anyone hurt you ever again. I would rather die a thousand agonizing deaths than let anything happen to you. Remember that always."

At his heartfelt words, Leera broke down, sobbing. Wendy was shocked. Never, in all the years he'd known her, (and he had known her since their equivalent of kindergarten), had he seen her cry. Not even when she hurt herself roughhousing with the other kids. She had always been one of the toughest people he knew, even more so than most men. And now, to see her sobbing so painfully, put a lightning-hot dagger in his heart. It had been amazing enough that she had lasted this long… even unsettling. She had never even spoken of her brutal rape until very recently, and it had happened nearly three years earlier. For most of that time, however, she had been absent from Iyerba, their home planet, serving a sort of internship on Federation missions as training to become an agent. Then she had been abducted by the Kaizaxx and, along with a handful of other female Federation employees, had been brutally assaulted and left for dead on a nearby desert planet. Unlike the half-attempts at being a charismatic playboy he had used with Vay, Le'Kruune had shown no mercy whatever toward Leera and her colleagues. Like a primitive beast driven by libido, he had robbed her of her virginity, and for that, Wendy wanted nothing more than to personally see to his slow and agonizing demise. The thing that had seen Leera through all this time had been a single determined philosophy: She would not let Le'Kruune get away with it, either. And not just because of what he had done to HER, but for the hundreds, if not thousands, of individuals whose lives had been forever altered by his actions. To give in to the desire to kill herself would only be strengthening his impact on the universe, would be admitting defeat… and she could never allow that, no matter what.

* * * *

Two hours later, the two were finishing supper. Wendy had invited Leera back to his home that evening and made her a delicious meal, hoping to take her mind off the past. In no time at all, it seemed to have worked: Leera stopped crying and was soon laughing happily over pleasanter memories.

"You remember when we were fifteen and you asked me 'What's a dickfor?'_" She grinned wickedly at Wendy, who blushed red and rolled his eye. The two were sitting on the sofa. _

"Yes, I remember," he muttered, "because your answer was one I'll never forget!" He gave her a screwed-up look that said he didn't know whether to laugh or curse. "You asked me what I thought it was for…"

"But you still didn't get it, so I told you…"

"…To come on over to your place and you'd give me a private demonstration!"

"And you STILL didn't get it!" Leera laughed loudly. Wendy blushed even redder. "I finally did after you pushed me down on your bed and climbed on top of me!" He smirked, fighting down a chuckle. Leera laughed all the harder. 

"God, you should have seen the look on your face! Your eye was about ready to pop out of your head! You were terrified!!!"

Here Wendy made an attempt to look dignified. "Yes, well, you WERE pretty terrifying, I must say. That maniacal look in your own eye… I almost thought you were gonna devour me or something."

"It's called lust, baby," Leera purred.

"I know that NOW," Wendy conceded, smiling. "But just for the record, you did come across a little too strong, even if you didn't intend to actually DO anything."

"Oh, but I DID," she said seductively, wrapping an arm around him. "That's WHY I came across so strong. I knew you were too timid to come to me willingly, so what else could I do? Wait another twenty or thirty years for you to come around? I don't think so."

"You mean you had a crush on me back THEN?!!" Wendy looked shocked. Leera merely smiled. "I always have," she confessed, pulling him close.

"Well, you sure had funny ways of showing it," Wendy mumbled, half complaining, half teasing.

"Like what?"

"Like wrestling me to the ground and sitting on me until Mom came looking for me. Then you were the picture of innocence when she came along. You were lucky I never told her about that. She's always been very fond of you."

"And I her," Leera admitted. "We have a lot in common, and that helps."

Wendy merely nodded, wondering just how much that statement had implied. It was surprisingly easy for Leera to talk about her past, but if anyone else brought it up, she would become tense and anxious, and quickly try to change the subject. 

"I gotta admit, you sure knew how to keep the bullies at bay," Wendy said. "All you had to do was say 'Back off! He's with ME!' _and they'd leave me alone. 'Course, YOU more than made up for all the guys that used to pick on me by doing their job yourself."_

_Leera giggled. "And I still do!"_

_And without warning, she pounced. They wrestled and tickled each other for several minutes, happily reliving their childhood. After a while, though, they grew breathless. Leera had Wendy in a half nelson, but he managed to wriggle out of her grasp, then flipped around to grab hold of her again, but she jumped back, leaning away from him on one foot. She lost her balance, and fell back down onto the couch. She flung her arms out and brought Wendy down with her. For a minute or two, they lay there on the couch, both trying to catch their breath. Noticing the position they were in, Leera smiled coyly and said, "As much as I enjoy having you on top of me, I'm going to have to ask you to get off, unless you plan on making love to me while you're up there."_

Wendy gulped, returning her smile as he sat up. Leera sat up, too, looking thoroughly disappointed. A split second later she threw herself on him again, knocking him over onto his back on the opposite side of the couch. She sat on top of him, straddling his waist. He stared up at her in shock. 

"Now, then, we can do this the easy way, or we can do it the hard way," she told him with an evil grin. "It's your choice."

"W-what's the hard way?" he asked timidly.

"The hard way is with ME on top, and you on the bottom. You know it's not nearly as much fun that way. So why don't we roll over and try this again?"

"I-I'm really not very much in the mood right now," Wendy protested, beginning to feel a warm tingling where she sat on him.

"Oh, don't worry… I can fix that," she purred, kissing him deeply. She rolled over onto her back, pulling him along with her so that he was once again lying on top of her. He gasped, then tried to push himself back up. She threw her arms around his neck, holding him firmly so that he couldn't escape. He felt her legs brush against his own as they moved to allow him access. This time Wendy could not deny his arousal, and moved his own legs to expose himself to her. In an entanglement of lips and limbs, the two lovers melted into each other, exchanging far more than their physical beings could allow. Even in sleep, they did not separate. This was bliss. Yet little did Wendy Pleakley know that this would be the last night he would ever spend with his darling Leera, for just three days later, he found her suicide note.

* * * *

"So that's Earth, is it? The one with all the blue and white?"

"Yes, ma'am!"

"And that's where HE is…"

"Indeed so."

"Well - thank you for showing it to me. It looks like a very beautiful planet. I hope he's happy there."

"Last I heard, he is."

"That's good."

Silence and a sigh.

"Ma'am?"

"Hm?"

"He hasn't forgotten you, if that's what you're wondering about."

"Oh! Well, actually, I was thinking about all that water. I've never seen a planet with so much water and so little land mass… except maybe Quinta, but that planet's much larger than this one is."

"Uh-huh. That's not all you were thinking. I know that look in your eye. You miss him."

"That's enough, Lieutenant. I called you up to help me locate Earth, and you did. Don't overstep your bounds here. I know where Wendy is now, and I know he's safe, and that's more than enough for me. But I am dead to him, and that is how I will remain."

"But, ma'am -"

"THANK you, Lieutenant. You're dismissed."

A staunch salute.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Please, call me by my first name. My REAL name. I haven't heard it uttered in so long, I fear I will forget who I really am, or, who I was. So from now on, just call me Leera, 'kay?"

A second salute.

"Yes, ma'am."


	29. Our Little One Eyed One

Disclaimer: I do not own "Lilo & Stitch" or any of the characters therein.

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT:  
OUR LITTLE ONE-EYED ONE

"Oh, little girl, vhere is six-two-six?" Jumba called down the hall to Lilo as she came in from the backyard, covered in mud.

"Out digging another hole," she replied, passing him by on her way to the bathroom. Standing in the doorway to his room, Jumba asked, "And vhat is he putting into _this_ hole? Not another one of my specimen jars, I am hoping. Last one contained pterochoydollophus bacteria sample. Attracted many unpleasant Earth vermin before I could dig it up."

From the bathroom, Lilo shouted over the rush of running water, "I don't think so!" A minute later she came out looking slightly cleaner. "Stitch didn't have anything with him when he started digging, so maybe he's not going to bury anything, or maybe… he's going to bury himself! I better get some flowers and a tombstone ready, 'cuz I have a feeling he won't be coming back up to the house anytime soon."

Jumba waved a large hand dismissively. "I vouldn't vorry too much about six-two-six. He is keeping himself occupied, and that is good because it is keeping him out of my hair, or lack thereof."

She followed him out to the living room and sat down on the couch next to him.

"So, are you gonna read or what?" she demanded.

"Read vhat?"

"The diary! You said you'd read me some more of it today!"

"Yes, but there is hardly anything left vorth reading. Pleakley did not seem to live very exciting life after incident vith the Kaizaxx."

Lilo pouted. "So? I don't care if it's so boring it puts me in a coma! I wanna hear more! Come on, Uncle Jumba! Please?!!" She leaned her face toward his, batting her eyelashes. Jumba found this too hard to refuse, and he sighed.

"Alright, alright. I vill go get diary. But I must varn you now: there is not much left that is appropriate for me to read to you."

"That's okay, as long as it's still Pleakley we're reading about. You can even reread some of the old stuff. I wouldn't mind."

As Jumba got up from the couch, he turned and looked at her curiously. "Tell me, little girl - _Lilo_ - vhy is it so important to you to be hearing this diary reading? Ve already know everything ve vanted to know that Cobra vould not tell us. Vhy read any further?"

At this, Lilo appeared to be thinking. After a long moment she looked down at the floor, her face blank of expression and her eyes unseeing as she replied in a quiet monotone, "Because when you read it to me, it's like he's still here with us. When you stop reading, he goes away again. I don't want him to go away. That's why I listen to Elvis. Because Mom and Dad did. They're still here, whenever he sings. And Pleakley's still here, when you read his diary."

"Oh, Lilo -" Jumba sighed heavily, laying a gentle hand on her shoulder. "That is not his diary that is making him to be here. That is your heart. Your love for him. Ve all are missing our little one-eyed one, and that is the one thing that vill continue to bind him to us, no matter how great the distance grows between us." And without another word he padded off toward his room to retrieve the diary. A few minutes later, Stitch came in, filthy as can be. He rolled into the kitchen, making a dark, muddy trail along the way. Lilo watched him with mild interest. 

"You know Nani's just gonna scream her head off at you and make you clean all that up, right?"

"Naga," Stitch replied, walking back into the living room with a can of soda. He opened it with his teeth and proceeded to drink it in one gulp.

"That better be the diet soda," Lilo muttered, half to herself. As much as she tried to hide the sugary, caffeinated sodas, Stitch almost always had a sure way of finding them. From down the hall, Jumba's booming voice called out, "I am not finding diary! I know I put it on desk this morning! Whomever is hiding it from me vill be made to go septic tank diving without vetsuit!"

Stitch flinched slightly at this statement, but Lilo noticed and asked him if he knew where the diary was.

"N-naga," he replied, dropping his ears and flashing her his puppy dog eyes. Jumba waddled back into the living room just then. When he noticed Stitch, he frowned.

"I think six-two-six is knowing vhere diary is. Othervise, he vould not have to try so hard to look like picture of innocence. And just so you know, my little creation, I vas serious vhat I said about septic tank."

Five minutes later the diary was retrieved from its hole in the backyard and taken to Jumba's room for cleaning. Although Lilo was disappointed at not being able to hear more about Pleakley that afternoon, she soon found a new way to amuse herself: putting on a fake funeral for Stitch in the backyard, with Scrump and several other stuffed toys as mourners. Afterward, she brought them all back into the house for the wake. When evening came and she did not come back to dig him up, Stitch began to wonder if she were really mad at him after all.

* * * *

The call came in at about 8:20 pm. Nani, having just returned from work, rose from the couch to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Nani? This is Cobra Bubbles. How are you this evening?" came the deep, intimidating voice in an attempt at pleasantry.

"Tired," came her frank reply. "I just got off work."

"Well, be thankful you actually _get_ some time off. Some of us are on call twenty-four/seven." He sounded a little irritable, but for Cobra, this was normal, so she let it pass.

"Oh… well, how's Pleakley doing?" she asked slowly, not wanting to sound too eager, even though it was the one thought foremost in her mind. 

"That's what I'm calling you about," he told her, and for a moment her heart leaped into her throat.

"Oh, God… he's okay, isn't he?"

"Health-wise, yes. He's fine. I swore I would not let any harm come to him, and so far, I am a man of my word. Emotionally, however, I think he could be doing a lot better, even in light of our most recent situation."

Nani was silent for a moment, afraid to ask, but she knew she would find out anyway. "Which is…?"

"The Federation has received communication from the Kaizaxx. It would seem that they have discovered Pleakley's whereabouts, and are already on their way to Earth to claim him."

The silence that followed seemed to extend into infinity. Nani just stood there, her ear frozen to the phone, numb from shock. 

"I cannot tell you anymore over the phone," Cobra was saying. "Any further information might cause a breach in security, and it would almost certainly jeopardize Mr. Pleakley's safety…" he continued, explaining the whole 'classified' thing over again, but Nani did not hear him. All she could hear just then was the tortured screaming of a little one-eyed alien, trapped somewhere in the back of her mind.

"Who is on the telephone?" said a deep voice, startling her. Nani blinked, and saw Jumba standing in front of her. She had been so lost in her own thoughts, she hadn't even seen him approach.

"Judging by look of horror on your face, I vould say it is David asking you out again."

"No, no. Actually, it's… Cobra." She tried to cover the phone up as she said this, but on the other end, Cobra heard anyway, and asked her who was there with her. When she told him, he seemed to relax a little, and told her it was okay to tell him the news. She did, and the look of shock on Jumba's face, though not unexpected, seemed to reflect a greater fear than the threat of a Kaizaxx invasion.

"This is even more serious now than I thought," Jumba mumbled. "Here, give me the telephone. I must speak vith Cobra."

Reluctantly, Nani handed it over.

"Hello, Mr. Bubbles. Eh, listen - I have something you may be vanting to know regarding our little one-eyed one. It seems he is in greater danger than you might think."

A short silence, then: "Clarify."

"Vell, it all started vhen ve found his diary…"

"What diary?"

"Pleakley's diary. It seems he left it for us to find. Little Post-It note on front said, '_This vill explain everything_.' And it did. Everything from matter collapser and molecular remapping to his mother's business transactions vith Le'Kruune."

"Oh, really?" Cobra asked, in a feigned tone of interest.

"Yes, indeed!" Jumba replied happily. "Vas very long diary, and a pretty good read, if you are into Soap Opera-type suspense-and-romance story. I vasn't, until I vas about halfway into part about -" 

"We're getting off-subject, here," Cobra growled impatiently. "What is it that you wanted to tell me?"

"Ah, yes! That. Yes. Ehhh, it seems Pleakley left second Post-It note in diary. Right at the very end, after last entry." Jumba pulled a small pink piece of paper out of his pocket and held it up to the light. It was dated nearly two weeks earlier, the day Pleakley had left. It read:

__

Dearest ohana,

- Now you know the truth.

I love you all, and I am sorry for any pain

Or inconvenience this has cost you.

Words cannot express my appreciation for

Being accepted into your family.

I will never forget any of you, no matter what

The outcome of this nightmare.

But if the Kaizaxx should come for me,

I will not linger here for them to 

Take me away again and 

Destroy all of Earth in the process.

I would rather die by my own hands

Than by theirs.

At least that way, they can never win.

Love to you all, my only ohana,

Wendy Pleakley


	30. California, Here We Come

Disclaimer: I do not own "Lilo & Stitch" or any of the characters therein.

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE:  
CALIFORNIA, HERE WE COME

It was not long after sunrise the next morning as Pacific Airlines flight 626 touched down in Los Angeles, bringing Nani, Lilo, Jumba and Stitch into California. For the entire flight, Stitch had had to be kept crated in the back with all the other pets, and naturally, this didn't sit well with him at all. Especially when the flight bore the same number as his own experiment number. In fact, it was he who had chosen that particular flight, and by lucky coincidence, it had been the only one bound for California at that time. Upon hearing news of the Kaizaxx' latest threat, and with the discovery of Pleakley's would-be suicide note, the entire ohana had unanimously decided to fly in to the golden state to be with their friend in his hour of need. Naturally, it had taken more than a little persuasion to get Cobra to agree to it, but in the end his staunch, stone-like façade had caved in to the empathetic heart beneath. As soon as it had been decided, Nani and the others had immediately begun making preparations for departure.

Now in California, they needed to find a way to get to Cambria, a small coastal community some two hundred miles north of Los Angeles. Outside of the airport, Nani made a remark about catching a Greyhound, and of course the newly liberated Stitch had taken her seriously enough to ransack the other animal carriers for a dog with some semblance to an actual greyhound. He only succeeded in terrifying all the animals, and even accidentally freeing a few.

"Settle down, Stitch!" Lilo yelled at him as he chased after an orange tabby cat. "Don't make me use the shock collar Jumba invented!" At that, he stopped dead in his tracks and obediently returned to her side. Lilo tried to put a choke chain on him, but he was resistant. After several hours of being cooped up in a carrier, he was not about to surrender his newfound freedom. Unfortunately, airport security were beginning to watch him like hawks, warning Nani to keep her 'dog' on a leash or face a fine. One glare from Nani was more than enough for him to accept the leash, though he sat there on the curb looking humiliated afterward.

"We still need to find a Greyhound going north," Nani muttered as she checked through a listing of the regularly scheduled stops and departures from their airport. Stitch looked up at her, his ears forward. "But - neema ganoochi!" he protested. 

"I know you tried," Lilo told him, patting his head as she sat down on the curb next to him. "But when Nani said Greyhound, she meant the bus, not the dog. If we were gonna get there by dog, then we'd need a whole lotta dogs, and a sled, too! It would be a lot more fun that way, but it would also take longer, although I wouldn't mind that at all. We'll be going up the coast, so that means we'll be taking the scenic route the whole way."

__

"Igh - zizzy alaamna. Puih!" Stitch said, jumping up and waving his four arms excitedly.

"Yeah, but you don't wanna wear yourself out pulling the sled yourself. There'd probably be nothing left of you by the time we got there! And another thing: you might wanna keep those tucked in. Earth dogs don't have that many legs… except for the seven-legged Terrible Terrier of Scotland." Her voice dropped to a whisper as she added, "Most people don't believe he exists, but I do. I've seen him five times. He was vacationing in Honolulu when we went to that dog show. He was the one with the glowing red eyes. But he was smart enough to keep his extra legs tucked in, at least until after the show, when I saw him devour that Chihuahua."

"Aye-aye-aye, Lilo. Are you telling Stitch another one of your lolo stories? You know he'll believe anything you say, don't you?" Nani stood over her, looking exasperated.

"Of course!" Lilo replied. "And that's why he's my favorite puppy!" And with that she picked him up and gave him a tight squeeze. Stitch gasped and growled, but did not resist.

"Yeah, well… he's your _only _puppy. All your other puppies ended up running away from home, remember?"

"That's just because they weren't ready for the truth. I've seen horrors beyond your wildest nightmares, but when I told them about the Terrible Terrier and all his legs, and how he's been snooping around Hawaii for the past few years, they all got scared and probably headed for California, where we are now. I'll bet we'll run into Shnoodly while we're here. I saw him in a bunch of dog food commercials, so he must be living it up in Hollywood right now!" 

Nani rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Somehow, I seriously doubt Shnoodly would want his face plastered all over the TV screen. Remember how he chewed the lens off your camcorder when you were trying to record him for that pet show? Oh, good! Here comes our bus now!_ Finally_!" Nani saw the Greyhound pull in and grabbed Lilo by the hand, running to meet it. Nobody was very happy about the trip up the coast, as it included several stops and transfers along the way, some of which had hour-long waits between buses. Stitch was especially angry to be crated again, and at each stop made the most of it by running around in circles, chasing cars and squirrels until he wore himself out, then fell asleep in his crate for an our or two. Jumba was none too happy about having to pay extra for two seats, and complained extensively about 'primitive Earth transportation' for a good portion of the trip. Nani argued with him in favor of the bus system, as it was far better than the horse and buggy days that were not so very far in the past. Lilo, who had not gotten a wink of sleep on the airplane, dozed most of the way up to Cambria.

* * * *

It was late in the afternoon by the time they made it to the little coastal town surrounded by pines. The sun had already dissolved into the ocean, but the last of its light allowed them a good look at their surroundings as they approached their final destination. Someone was waiting for them in a black Ferrari at their rendezvous point. It was not Cobra Bubbles, as they had been expecting, but another CIA agent who had been assigned to guard Pleakley. The man was far less pleasant than Cobra. He was as lively as a corpse, and this made his passengers appreciate Cobra a lot more by comparison. He said no more than was absolutely necessary, and they rode on in silence up into the wooded hills surrounding Cambria. At the end of a picturesque little lane, they turned onto a narrow dirt road that twisted and wove itself between towering evergreens, cypress and pines, until it reached the top of the hill. In a small clearing stood an unremarkable little white house. The garden surrounding it was overgrown with weeds and vines that climbed halfway up the front of the house and concealed its windows from view. It was nearly completely dark now as the gang followed the bobbing light of their driver's flashlight up to the dark and lifeless front porch. The man knocked and rang the doorbell alternatively in a sort of code, and after what seemed like a very long minute, the door opened, revealing Cobra Bubbles. Even indoors at nighttime, he wore his trademark Ray-bans, though behind them the others could make out his somber expression, though it was far more somber than usual. Something was wrong, Nani, Jumba, Lilo and Stitch thought simultaneously. Without even an exchange in greetings, they walked into the house, their driver helping to carry in their luggage. There was very little in the way of furniture or décor; only the bare essentials. As they looked around quietly, they couldn't help but wonder where Pleakley was at that moment, but just then they were all afraid to ask. Except for Stitch, of course. He curled himself up into a ball and rolled around the living room, then stopped when he bumped into Cobra's shins. He popped open then and looked up at him with one ear cocked. "Where Pleakley?" he asked, his eyes wide with childish curiosity. At this, Cobra sighed, took his Ray-bans off.

"Everyone, have a seat. There's something we need to discuss."

* * * *

"He did WHAT?!!" Nani shouted, looking hysterical. Beside her, Jumba stared unblinking at the CIA agent, all four eyes wide in disbelief, even though he knew he should have seen it coming. 

"It vas in his letter," he conceded, remembering the farewell note that Pleakley had inserted into his diary. "He said he vould do it, but I never really believed that he vould. The little bugger von't even swat a mosquito that is drinking his blood. How he could go and do this is beyond my comprehending."

"Is he okay?" Nani asked anxiously.

"If by okay you mean 'alive,' then, yes. He is fine. But now it is obvious that _mentally_, he is not well at all._ Physically_, however, he is still recovering. He lost quite a bit of blood for a person of his size. I do wish you had found that suicide note sooner, Dr. Jookiba. When I found him, I thought it was already too late."

"But why would he wanna cut himself?" Lilo demanded, her arms around Stitch as the two sat on the floor in the living room. "He can't even stand the sight of blood, so how could he make himself bleed like that? Are you sure he didn't cut himself on accident?"

"I'm sure," Cobra answered flatly. "See, Lilo, he cut himself on purpose because he didn't want the Kaizaxx to do it_ for _him. He wanted to be in control of his own life for once, even if it means ending it before _they_ do. Do you understand?" 

For a long moment, there was silence. All eyes were on the little girl, while her own eyes began to fill with tears. Staring at the floor, she nodded, ever so slightly, then shook her head. Then she buried her face in Stitch's fur, drying her eyes.

"It's not fair," she muttered, and everyone had to lean in closer in order to hear her. "Pleakley can't die. That's all everyone does is die. Or leave. We're his ohana now, and ohana means nobody gets left behind or forgotten. Sounds like he's already forgotten, though, because he already tried to leave us all behind."

Sitting nearby on the couch, Nani leaned over to lay a hand on her sister's shoulder. Angrily, Lilo shrugged it away. Two large, highly polished black shoes appeared on the floor before her, and she looked up to see Cobra towering over her, his Ray-bans and his stern, governing demeanor back in place.

"I think what Pleakley needs right now is a good talking to, preferably by someone who is good with negotiations. He needs to be reminded that he has family on this planet; people who would be forever hurt by his leaving them. He needs to know he's important to someone, and that there is a reason to keep on living. How 'bout it, Lilo?" He tipped his Ray-bans and peeked over the top of them at her. Lilo grinned wide in response.


	31. Absolute Zero

Disclaimer: I do not own "Lilo & Stitch" or any of the characters therein.

CHAPTER THIRTY:  
ABSOLUTE ZERO

Inside of Pleakley's bedroom, it was dark, only a single lamp turned down low was glowing in a corner. Two CIA agents sat outside his door, playing cards at a small, folding table that had been set up directly in front of the door to prevent Pleakley's escape. The door itself was slightly ajar, and every now and then one of the agents would peer in to make sure he was okay. After having searched the room thoroughly for anything which might aid in a second suicide attempt, they had left him to rest and recover from his first attempt. Having been told that his ohana were on their way to California to see him, Pleakley had seemed a bit happier, and promised Cobra that he would not kill himself before he got to see them one last time. At any rate, he was too weak now from blood loss to even try. The CIA still resolved to keep a close eye on him, even though he was not technically under the same jurisdiction as humans were when it came to self-harm. Cobra led Lilo to his bedroom, then told his colleagues that they could take a break from guarding the door. When they were gone, Lilo pulled the door closed behind her and locked it, even though she knew that Cobra had a key to it (which was how he had come upon Pleakley's unconscious form after hearing of the suicide note). Cautiously, Lilo stepped over to the bed, where Pleakley lay sleeping. A thin, cotton blanket was pulled up to his chest, and his arms lay straight at his sides on top of it. There were thick bandages on his wrists, and a faint tinge of red bled through them in places. Even in the dim light, his face looked ghastly pale. Very carefully, the little girl sat down on his bed, surveying the wounds he had inflicted on himself and wondering why he had done them; wondering why he wouldn't rather go out and punish Le'Kruune for all he had done. _Your life must have been pretty bad if you wanted to end it_, Lilo thought silently. _But all the bad stuff was in the past, so why die now without trying out the future first?_

"Pleakley? Are you awake?"

Very slowly, the alien turned his head toward her voice, opened his eye. "Lilo?" He struggled to sit up, though with his combined weakness and sore wrists, it was very difficult. He managed to prop himself up on his pillows. 

"When did you get in?"

"'Bout an hour ago. We took the first flight we could catch. We couldn't let you face the Kaizaxx all by yourself."

At the mentioning of the infamous militia, he shuddered. "Well, thanks, kid. It was really nice of you to come see me, though if I'd known you were gonna be here so soon, I would have tidied myself up a little. You know, comb my wig and put on a clean girdle. Oh, and find something to flatter my wrists better than these old things!" He lifted his arms up for her to see them better. When she didn't inquire about them, he sighed and laid them at his sides again. "So I guess they told you, huh?"

Lilo nodded solemnly.

"Well, what can I say, Lilo? You read my diary. I'm bad luck to everyone I get close to. Mother, Uncle Gidgel, Leera… it's pretty pointless to keep on living when all I ever seem to do is cause all my loved ones a load of pain and suffering!" he shouted melodramatically, throwing his head back and draping a bandaged wrist across his forehead for effect. Lilo did not inquire about the latter two people he had mentioned. She had already heard about 'Uncle Gidgel,' Vay's only sibling, who had been crippled in two of his legs in a freak accident that Pleakley had been involved in, and therefore had blamed himself for it. Though he could still walk, it was rather difficult to get around dragging two dead weights behind him. As for Leera… she hadn't even heard of her before, since Jumba had deemed all passages in the diary referring to her as 'inappropriate,' even though there were many which were not.

"You know what _I _think?" Lilo asked, leaning in closer to him. "I think you'd only make them hurt more by dying. If someone loves you, then they want you around. Maybe not twenty-four/seven, because you can get on their nerves if you are, but most of the time, they want you around. I know _I_ do. We all missed you a lot, Pleakley, and we want you to come back."

"You missed me?_ Already_? But it's only been about - what? - two weeks?"

"Two weeks is a long time, especially when you're _my_ age. But I missed you the very first day you were gone!"

"You did?" Pleakley asked, looking at her in disbelief. She responded by throwing her arms around him and giving him a huge kiss on the cheek. It was a little too wet for his liking, but he resisted the urge to wipe it off, and hugged her back, draping his sore arms carefully around her shoulders. He closed his eye tight, squeezing out a large tear. It splashed onto Lilo's shoulder, and she looked up suddenly.

"Is there a leak in your roof?" she asked, gazing up at all the cracked plaster above their heads.

* * * *

"So that's your plan, is it?"

"Yep!"

"Geez, and they thought _I_ was suicidal!"

"So whaddaya think?!!"

"I think it's crazy, extremely dangerous, and it will never work… Let's do it!!!"

Lilo and Pleakley shook hands on their agreement.

"There's just one teeny-tiny little problem… how am I gonna get past all those CIA agents out there? I can't even go to the bathroom without being watched! They'll never let me outta their sight, especially after what I did to my wrists!"

At this, Lilo frowned, apparently deep I thought. After a minute, she snapped her fingers and said, "I've got it!" 

* * * *

Ten minutes later, Lilo emerged from Pleakley's room, her shoulders hunched and her face toward the floor. She wore a loud purple and orange muumuu and a navy blue jacket that didn't seem to fit properly. She shuffled into the living room, past Nani, Jumba, Stitch, Cobra, and three or four other CIA agents who sat around talking. She tried to be inconspicuous, but halfway to the front door, she stopped, as Nani asked her, "So, did you have a nice talk with Pleakley?" 

Glancing at her from the corner of her eye, Lilo nodded, then cleared her throat. "That's good," Nani said. She stood up. "Well, I guess it's _my_ turn now to go in and yell at him."

"NO!" Lilo cried, waving a hand out frantically. 

"I was only kidding, Lilo. I'm not gonna yell at him. I just wanna say hi, and see how he's doing. I missed him, too, you know."

"Pleakley's -um - Pleakley's not feeling well right now. He just fell asleep a minute ago. So don't go waking him up _now_! You know how he likes his beauty sleep!"

"Beauty sleep, hah!" bellowed Jumba. "He vould have to sleep like Rip Van Winkle to be vorth looking at! And this Winkle fellow is no Miss Universe contestant."

At this, Lilo growled, clenching her fists to her sides. "Just leave him alone, okay?!! The poor guy's been through enough without your insults!"

"Hey, Lilo, what's wrong with your voice?" Nani asked. "You're not catching a cold, are you?"

Here Lilo appeared anxious. "N- maybe," she admitted, clearing her throat again.

Cobra eyed the young girl suspiciously from behind his shades, but said nothing.

"And - did your jacket shrink? Or did you outgrow it already?" she inquired, noticing how short the sleeves were, but thankfully not noticing the bandages that were protruding out from under them. Again, Lilo shrugged. 

"Well, you better not go outside then, if you're coming down with a cold. It's pretty chilly out there."

"But - I'll only be outside for a minute! I'll come right back in, I promise!"

"Alright, fine. You have one minute. And don't think I won't come out looking for you when that time is up! Got it?"

Lilo nodded nervously, and continued on her way. Stitch started to follow her, but she muttered something under her breath that sounded a lot like _'meega na la queeshta,'_ and he stopped in his tracks, looking positively appalled.

A couple of minutes later, Lilo passed by them all again, this time wearing the red and white muumuu she had arrived in, and minus her jacket.She hummed happily as she skipped through the living room. "Later!" she called, waving back at the others, who were all deeply immersed in conversation. A moment or two later, Nani looked up toward the front door, through which her sister had just gone a second time. _Funny, I didn't even see her come back in,_ she thought vaguely before returning to the discussion.

* * * *

Once outside the house, the real Lilo glanced about cautiously, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the darkness of the surrounding woods. The chill air caused her to shiver, and she hugged herself tightly as she called out in a loud whisper, "Pleakley! Where are you? The coast is clear! You can come out now!"

A sudden rustling far to her right startled her. Pleakley stepped out from behind a nearby bush, still dressed in his muumuu and black wig.

"I can't _believe_ we pulled it off! Thanks, Lilo. That was a great idea." Then, seeing how cold she was, he took off the jacket and handed it to her. 

"Here. It doesn't fit me, anyway. Not really my color, either."

"What about _you_?" she asked him, putting it on. "Aren't _you_ cold?"

"A little," he confessed, taking her by the hand and leading her out into the woods. "But believe me, I've been a lot colder. Like up there." He gestured toward the sky with his other hand. " It's _very_ cold up in space."

"But I've been to space, and it wasn't _that_ cold," she told him, jogging fast now to match his stride.

"Yes, but you've never been in _deep_ space before. Like outside of your galaxy, where there's no nearby stars to warm things up. If you go far enough out, it gets so cold that you would die in an instant from it. Absolute zero is also absolute death."

"What's absolute zero?" Lilo shouted, panting to keep up with him.

"It's a temperature," Pleakley yelled back, leading her further and further into the woods.

"But it gets to be zero some places on Earth… like the Artic, and people don't die right away out there!"

"Absolute zero is completely different from zero degrees Fahrenheit. In fact, it goes way-way below that," Pleakley explained without looking back.

"How far?"

"About negative four-hundred and sixty degrees. It's the coldest known temperature in the universe."

"Wowwwwww.." Lilo mouthed breathlessly, gazing up at the sky. Through pitch black branches of cypress and pine, the heavens glowed a deep neon blue, and the stars twinkled bright with a crystalline quality that seemed to further emphasize the coldness. Orion peeked out from behind the thick foliage of an out-of-place oak, then quickly ducked out of sight as Pleakley changed course and started pulling Lilo down a little slope toward the left.

"Where are we going exactly?" she demanded, beginning to grow tired of being tugged along like a dog on a leash. Suddenly she understood how Stitch felt, and resolved to be a lot more tactful about it in the future. 

"Into the town, remember?" Pleakley called back, huffing. "The plan is to alert the townspeople that there is an alien invasion imminent. _You _run around, screaming hysterically, while _I _take off my human disguise and show everyone my true form. Then, they'll _have _to believe us! Once they get a glimpse of me, they'll begin panicking and utter chaos will ensue! Then when the Kaizaxx come to Earth, they'll think everyone's been expecting them, and they're sure to back off! For such ruthless barbarians, they like to handle these things as quietly as possible!"

"But what if they come back later, when everyone calms down?" Lilo asked.

For a split second, Pleakley jarred in his tracks. "I hadn't given that much thought," he conceded, "but maybe our initial plan will stall them long enough until…" he trailed off, breathing hard and slowing his step.

"Until what?" Lilo caught up to him as he slowed even further. Pretty soon, he had stopped completely, and was now leaning against the trunk of a redwood, panting and trembling. 

"Until _what_?" Lilo demanded again, not realizing what was wrong with him. When he still didn't answer, she felt a twinge of fear. Putting a hand on his arm, she asked, "Hey, are you alright?"

Pleakley moved his head in response, but whether he was nodding or shaking it, she could not tell. He sank to his knees, hyperventilating. The little energy he had had been spent, and the recent loss of blood was now taking its toll on him. Lilo began to grow scared. There they were, in the middle of the woods, on top of a small mountain, in the darkness, in a land where both were complete strangers, with no idea where they were going nor from which direction they had come, without a sign of life for miles, and now Pleakley was ill. What was a child to do? Without any other options at hand, Lilo began to cry. Loudly and hysterically. The silence of the night was shattered by her sharp voice, and it carried down the mountain and bounced back up to her, intensifying her fear. After what had seemed like an eternity to the terrified girl, there came an answer to her cries. But it did not come in the form of Nani, Jumba or Cobra, or anything else she might have wished for just then. Instead, the pitch blackness of the woods became pierced with a blinding white light that enveloped her and Pleakley. Everywhere she looked, it was white. Then the wind picked up, swirling around them both, roaring as it did so. Suddenly she felt weightless, and grabbed hold of Pleakley, shrieking as she felt herself being lifted up into the air, higher and higher up, until they were both swallowed up completely by the light.


	32. Wendy's Angels

Disclaimer: I do not own "Lilo & Stitch" or any of the characters therein.

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE:  
WENDY'S ANGELS

The last thing Pleakley remembered was light. Bright white light, blinding him, drinking him in, devouring him. Then darkness. Had he died? No. Of course not. He could still feel the pain in his wrists. Was this Hell? He opened his eye. Dull gray metal surrounded him. Lilo was crouched by his side, her face buried in his muumuu, whimpering. He had blacked out, only for a minute, though it had been long enough for him to lose his bearings. He had no idea where they were, until a hauntingly familiar voice spoke to him from somewhere nearby.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the bastard child of my favorite whore, Wendy Pleakley."

Beside him, Lilo gasped. Pleakley sat up slowly, following her frightened eyes as they stared, transfixed, at the towering form of none other than Horsthar Le'Kruune. Instinctively, Pleakley grabbed hold of the little girl, pulling her close into a protective embrace. Le'Kruune smiled sweetly, a gesture that made the smaller alien's stomach churn.

"What in the cosmos are you _wearing, _my dear boy? You look like a cheap floozy in that getup. Following in your mother's footsteps, are we?"

In spite of his fear, Pleakley flashed his captor a deadly look. When he did, he saw in that moment just how different Le'Kruune himself appeared since the last time he had seen him, some nine years before. The entire left side of his face was shriveled and discolored, as though it had suffered some second or third degree burning. His left eye was sealed shut, and the skin over and around it sank into what was unmistakably an empty socket. Most startling of all, though, was his antlers. One of the front ones, which were only half the size of the ones which sat further back on his head, had been severed off, clear down to the skull, with the other one still intact. One of the larger antlers had also been broken off, though a prominent stump remained, while the other one was only missing a prong. Pleakley had little time to wonder what had happened to him, for just then Le'Kruune was attempting to address Lilo.

"And what is this _intriguing_ little creature you have here?"

"Her - her name is Lilo. She's a little girl I live with back on -"

"I didn't ask for it's life story, you imbecile! I asked you what it _is_!" Le'Kruune roared, suddenly losing his gentility. Pleakley trembled, pulling Lilo closer to him.

"Sh-she's a human. A human girl. A child."

"Hmmm… and you say you live with it? Funny, I was under the impression that Earthlings were nothing more than a bunch of primitive ape cousins. Do you keep it as a pet, then, or as food?"

"Neither!" Pleakley shouted. "She's just as much a person as you or I! Well, not YOU, maybe, because unlike YOU, she's civilized! AND -" he added, growing light-headed again, "she's part of my ohana!"

Le'Kruune looked down at them both in disdain. "And just what the hell is 'ohana?' Some alien slang you picked up on this pathetic rock?"

"No! Ohana means family, which is something you'll never understand!"

"Oh, really? Don't underestimate me, Pleakley. I know quite a bit about family. In fact, I've been planning a little family reunion for quite some time, and now that_ you're _here, the festivities can finally begin! Captain -" he turned to a nearby officer, "bring in the others."

Without a word, the officer obeyed, disappearing behind a stainless steel door and returning moments later with three prisoners in tow. First to appear was ZaiLeia Miik, grand councilwoman of the Galactic Alliance. She stepped across the threshold into the large, empty room, arms behind her back and her head held high as if to maintain her staunch air of diplomatic dignity. She did not appear the least bit upset by the situation. Standing over Lilo and Pleakley, she gave them a slight nod of acknowledgement, and nothing more. Second into the room was Vay, looking equally unfazed. Pleakley's jaw dropped. "Mother?" 

He had no time to wonder at her presence aboard the Kaizaxx ship, for just then the third and final prisoner stepped into sight. Seeing her, his jaw dropped even further. Even after all those years, he still recognized that lovely face, that pleasant figure, that long blonde hair. He blinked. No. It couldn't possibly be… could it? Pleakley gaped, wide-eyed, at the enchanting ghost of his past … "Leera?!!"

At the sound of her name, the woman looked up. Their eyes met, locked. In that instant, a million things seemed to transpire. All the lost years, all the memories, all the emotions, became everything and nothing as they rushed to embrace each other. His heart throbbing painfully, Pleakley squeezed her tight, as if by doing so he could hold onto her forever, and never lose her again. A loud sob escaped him, and suddenly he felt very weak. Overwhelmed, he buried his face in her hair and cried. Sickened by this display of affection, Le'Kruune seized Leera roughly by the shoulder, yanking her out of Pleakley's arms.

"NOOO!!!" he screamed, falling forward onto his knees. Le'Kruune glared down at him, a triumphant grin on his hideous face as he stood with Leera in front of him, his claws resting on her shoulders. Pleakley looked at her desperately. She looked back, her eye pleading with him.

"I will thank you _not_ to manhandle my personal property," Le'Kruune growled, squeezing her shoulders until his claws dug into her flesh and she gasped.

Just then, Pleakley couldn't care less about how powerful Le'Kruune was. Trembling from fatigue, he raised a long, slender arm from which the bandages were starting to come undone, and pointed an accusing finger at their captor. Then, in a blood-chilling hiss, invoked this curse upon him.

"You will SUFFER for what you have done to these women! You will die horribly, and you will rot in Hell for all eternity! I will see to that personally!!!" Clinging tightly to his side once again, Lilo gasped, then, after a second's thought, added "Yeeaaahhhh!!!" in a mockery of her old rival Myrtle Edmonds.

To their surprise (although they should have expected it) Le'Kruune chuckled. He let go of Leera, and she ran back to Pleakley, who caught her in his arms and held both her and Lilo protectively. In a moment, Vay had joined them. The grand councilwoman remained distant and stone-faced. They all watched as Le'Kruune howled hysterically with laughter, clearly out of his mind. He shut up quickly as a voice called out over the intercom: "WE HAVE BEEN DETECTED. FEDERATION FORCES ARE CLOSING IN! REPEAT: FEDERATION FORCES ARE CLOSING IN! REQUESTING HIS HIGHNESS HORSTHAR EVETH XEYJII LE'KRUUNE TO THE MAIN CONTROL ROOM."

"Oh, trog-feathers!" Le'Kruune cursed. He turned toward the door, then looked back over his shoulder. "Put them all in detention cell D9. Except for the human. Put it in quarantine to await decontamination. I can't have a filthy Earthling mucking up my ship, now, can I?"

"Uh, excuse me, sir," an officer spoke up, "why don't we jettison her? She is of no use to us."

"That's where you're wrong, Lieutenant. _Dead _wrong." And without warning, Le'Kruune pulled a ray gun from his belt and shot the man in the heart. Pleakley screamed and turned away, covering Lilo's face with his muumuu so that she couldn't see. A terrible ringing silence followed, as Le'Kruune's officers stared in absolute shock at the lifeless body of the lieutenant. Not having been part of the elite group that had undergone the molecular remapping procedure, he was not lucky enough to survive this assault. 

"Mackayl!" Le'Kruune barked, and all his men jolted and looked up at him, fear evident on their faces. The one called Mackayl stepped forward, trying to conceal his terror. Le'Kruune bent down and ripped a small metal pin from the front of the dead man's uniform, then handed it to Mackayl.

"You've just been promoted to lieutenant. Congratulations!" 

Just then another officer stepped forward. "With all due respect, your highness, Mackayl's only a corporal. _I'm _ sergeant, so that means _I _should be promoted to lieu -"

A second shot was fired, taking the man down. Instead of dying, he fell over onto his back, clutching at the smoking hole beneath his ribcage. In a few moments, however, it had healed. Le'Kruune stood over him, this time aiming the weapon at his face at point blank range.

"I'll do it again!" he said, a maniacal gleam in his eye. "Cross me once more and I'll do it till you're dead! Or maybe… yes… one shot in the eye ought to do the trick. You do know, don't you, that your eyes are not covered by our invincibility insurance? I had to find that out the hard way, thanks to a certain little _slut _whom I need not mention by name…" he glared back over his shoulder at the three huddled Splorgnarians, plus Lilo, who was still concealed under Pleakley's muumuu. Pleakley glanced at his mother, questioning. Reading his thoughts, she shook her head, then nodded toward Leera.

"Now, then," Le'Kruune said loudly, tucking his gun back into his belt, "Is there anyone else here who isn't quite convinced of their place aboard my ship?" When no one answered, he smiled, satisfied that he had managed to instill terror into his men. "Alright, then," and he headed toward the door. "Oh, yes. Make sure one of you jettisons Salwen's corpse on the way out. But not the human. If I find so much as a scratch on it, you will all be eating your own excrement for a week!"

"Hey, what's going on out there?" Lilo shouted, her voice muffled under layers of fabric. She jabbed Pleakley in the side, and he winced. "Pleakley, lemme out! I can't breathe! And you smell bad! C'mon!" But Pleakley held her firmly, keeping her covered until two petty officers grabbed the corpse by the antlers and dragged it out of sight down a dark corridor. The instant he let her out, two more officers made forward to take her, and he quickly tried to cover her up again. With absolutely no idea what was going on, Lilo fought her way out from under her textile prison, only to be seized roughly from both sides and caught up in a tug-o-war between Pleakley and a Kaizaxx man. But Pleakley's arms were still too weak, and he could not hold onto her for more than a couple of seconds. The Kaizaxx man had won. Ignoring everyone's screams of protest, he tucked the little girl under his arm and carried her off down one corridor while Pleakley and the women were herded off down another toward their cell.

* * * *

"But _why_? Why did you do it?" Pleakley whined, regarding his lost love Leera in their detention cell a half hour later.

"Because - (sigh) - because there was just no other way that I could think of. I had to go under completely if I was going to accept the mission. When I wrote you that note, I hadn't intended it to be my last. If you will remember correctly, I simply stated that I could not keep living knowing that Le'Kruune was still out there, and that even though it pained me to leave you, that we would be together again someday. I never actually _said _I was going to take my own life, but I did write that note so as to sound ambiguous about it."

Pleakley sighed painfully, looked at the floor. "God, Leera. You have no idea how much I've suffered, thinking you were dead all this time. I just can't believe that you're alive. It's a miracle. I only fear that this is just a wonderful dream, and nothing more. If it is, then I don't ever want to wake up."

"I'm so sorry, Wendy. I never meant to hurt you. But when ZaiLeia asked me to undergo this mission, I just couldn't refuse. Once I'd infiltrated Le'Kruune's inner circle, I was sure that in no time at all, I would be able to take him down. But I was wrong. And I couldn't go back to Iyerba after that, or he would most certainly have come looking for me, and destroy our planet in the process. And I couldn't contact anyone, either. Not you, or Vay, or even the Alliance. If I had, it could have put you all in danger, as well as put the entire mission into jeopardy. Believe me, I had no idea things would be this complicated. I had expected to complete my mission and return to Iyerba within a few months' time. A year, tops. I managed to take a good whack at Le'Kruune on four separate occasions, but after each attempt, I had to stay on the lam."

"How do you think he ended up looking the way he does now?" Vay asked from a nearby bunk, smiling proudly at the younger woman. Pleakley looked back and forth at the two of them, questioning. "That's right," his mother replied. "The first time, she only succeeded in taking his eye out. The second time, she threw flesh-eating acid on his face. And the third time, she tried to dehorn him."

Leera blushed bright pink at this. "Yes, and I still have a piece of his antler. I saved it as a souvenir of that wonderful day when I almost succeeded in killing him."

Pleakley stared at her, disbelieving. "You really did all those things?" Leera nodded. "Wow. I don't know what to say, except… you go, girl!!!" She blushed even darker. 

"But… what about the fourth time?" Pleakley asked. "You said you attacked him _four_ times."

Leera blushed again. "Oh, yeah. That. Well, actually, I did, just recently. A couple of days ago, in fact. I got him _really_ good that time, only you can't see what I did because…" she trailed off, blushing yet again. Glancing down, she made a gesture with her eye toward his crotch, and suddenly he understood. His own eye widened in horror.

"You mean you…?"

She nodded. This time, everyone looked shocked. 

"Well, that's news to _me_!" exclaimed Vay, looking at Leera with a mixture of awe and admiration. ZaiLeia, who had been silent the whole time, spoke up. "And just what exactly did you do? There's more than one precious item downstairs to rob him of."

Leera opened her mouth to reply, but Pleakley cut her off. 

"Wait! Don't tell me! I don't even wanna know! That's a very sensitive subject, and while I'm very proud of you for doing… whatever you did, I'd just as soon _not_ hear all the gruesome details."

"Well, _we_ do!" said Vay, looking eagerly at Leera. "Go on, tell us!"

Leera barely opened her mouth a second time when Pleakley flung his hands up to cover his antenna and started singing incoherently in an attempt to block her out. Leera shook her head and smiled before answering loudly, "Well, technically he can still do the deed, but he ain't gonna get slapped with any more paternity suits, if you get what I mean."

Despite his efforts, Pleakley still heard this. He dropped his hands to his sides and gaped at her.

"I don't suppose you managed to save _those_, did you? You know, as a souvenir?" Vay asked, grinning. Pleakley glared at her in shock. "Mother!"

"Hold on a moment," ZaiLeia said. "I'm afraid I don't understand something here. Horsthar underwent molecular remapping, so with the exception of his eye, everything else should have grown back. What's up with that?"

"Apparently there seems to be some flaws in his molecular formula," Vay answered. "The procedure was still in its hypothetical stage when he underwent it, so of course certain risks were to be expected. After all these years, it would appear that his modified molecular map is beginning to break down, thus reverting him to his original state, or possibly worse."

ZaiLeia nodded in agreement. "That would explain the deterioration of his mental state, which, I am assuming, is the only reason that Leera here is still alive. After what she did to him, I am quite shocked that he didn't kill her."

"Unless he's got something else planned for me," Leera said quietly, and Pleakley turned to her, a worried look in his eye. "Well, he's already tried to rape me," she told him, quite frankly. "Lucky thing I had my knife with me at the time. I waited till the right moment to whip it out, and then I took it and -"

"That's okay, Leera!" Pleakley said loudly. "You don't have to reiterate! He got what was coming to him, and that's all I need to know." He blushed and Leera giggled. 


	33. Love's Flame Reignited

Disclaimer: I do not own "Lilo & Stitch" or any of the characters therein.

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO:  
LOVE'S FLAME REIGNITED

"Why did you do this?" Leera asked calmly, fingering the bandages on his wrists. Pleakley looked up at her slowly, then looked down at his arms. He shrugged, but did not make eye-contact with her as he replied, "I dunno. When I heard that Le'Kruune was on his way to Earth, I guess I just snapped. All I remember thinking is, that I would rather kill myself than let _him_ do the honors. And then nothing. I saw the blade, picked it up, and afterward, I couldn't feel a thing. I wasn't even thinking anymore. I saw the sweet release of death, and I wasn't afraid. I passed out, and when I woke up, all my senses had returned, and I couldn't believe what I had done."

He continued to stare at the floor, until a gentle hand was laid on his shoulder. He looked up then, but it was not Leera's hand. It was Vay's. She sat down next to him on the bunk, her eye void of expression as she stared unblinking at her son. After a long moment, she spoke.

"What did I tell you about dying before me?" she demanded in a threatening tone that made him tense. "I told you that I would not tolerate that. You are the universe to me, Wendy. My reason for existing. If you leave this life first, then I will have no reason to keep on living."

"Neither will I," Leera added. "Think about this: if you killed yourself, you would only be setting off a chain of events that you wouldn't even live to regret. On top of that, you would actually be letting Le'Kruune win. Now, do you really want to do that?"

For a moment, Pleakley appeared to be thinking. He looked from Vay to Leera, then inwardly at himself. Here they were, the two most important people in his life, his angels, whom he would gladly give his life for, swearing that they would rather die than live without him. Suddenly, understanding dawned on his face.

"No," he whispered. "No, I don't." And he sobbed. Two sets of arms encircled him then, and he stretched his own arms out to embrace them both. 

* * * *

God only knows how much time had past since their abduction. Back in California, the hour was late, but up in space, time had little meaning. Exhausted from the day's events, and from his loss of blood, Pleakley had dozed off, waking up an hour or two later in the arms of his beloved. As he began to stir, he woke up Leera, who laid a gentle hand on the back of his head. He opened his eye and looked up at her. She looked back, smiling sweetly. "Comfy?" she asked him, and he blushed a little, realizing that he had been using her chest as a pillow.

"Very," he replied, grinning. He stretched, further pressing his face against her bosom. Even though it had been unintentional, Leera gasped slightly and told him not to get too comfortable, as they weren't exactly alone in their cell. Pleakley sat up then, slowly and reluctantly. 

"I was having such a wonderful dream, too," he yawned.

"Mmm, that wasn't a dream," Leera purred, sitting up beside him. Pleakley looked stunned. "Okay, what did you do to me while I was asleep?" he demanded. 

"Nothing you would ordinarily object to," she replied, smiling. At his horrified look, she added, "Don't worry. Your mother and ZaiLeia are asleep."

Doubting, Pleakley glanced over across the room to where the other two women lay still on separate bunks. This seemed to calm him a little, though he still looked peeved. He glanced back at Leera, watching her as she tidied herself up. She tossed her golden hair back gracefully, brushing her fingers through it in a poor attempt to comb it. As he watched, he slowly became aware of how little she had changed… how beautiful she still was. Closing his eye, he still saw her beauty, and it ran deep. He still could not believe that she alive. It was too good to be true. After all the pain from those long years of thinking she was dead, of course he could forgive her. He opened his eye again, sighing dreamily.

"You okay there?" she asked him, noticing the odd expression on his face.

"Oh, I'm more than okay," he whispered, smiling. "I'm…wonderful. Haven't you heard? My fiancée is back from the dead." Hearing his own words, a new thought crossed his mind. "Leera…" he began, suddenly struggling with an unknown fear. "Leera, if we get out of this alive, will you -" his voice caught in his throat, and he gulped. He took her hand, and held it firmly in his. Then, looking her straight in the eye, he said, "Will you marry me?"

Leera stared back at him, seemingly at a loss for words. Then -

"Of course I will, Wendy. You know I will. You asked me that eight years ago. I said yes then, and I say yes now. I never reconsidered my answer for an instant in all those years. I love you."

Hearing this, Pleakley's lip trembled, and he sobbed. "Oh, Leera. I love you, too!" They embraced. He rocked her in his arms for a while, then stopped when she looked up at him, her eye shining. The two gazed fondly into each other's eyes before leaning in closer. Their lips met and they kissed, deeply and passionately. Her tongues slipped into his mouth, and he eagerly greeted them with his own. He felt a warm tingling deep down; the spark of a long-dormant feeling reigniting. Since Leera had gone from his life some eight years earlier, Pleakley had never even considered being with another woman, but now that she was back… His hands wandered up her sides, slowly and seductively, before cupping her breasts.

"_Ahem!_"

Startled, Pleakley broke their kiss and spun around. His mother and the grand councilwoman were both sitting up in their bunks now and watching him intently, the looks on their faces suggesting that they were fighting down the urge to bust out laughing.

Horrified, Pleakley looked back at Leera, who didn't seem fazed in the least. "I thought you said they were asleep!" he shouted frantically. Leera merely shrugged. ZaiLeia looked over at Vay and muttered, "I don't know about you, but the next time I see one of our guards, I'm going to put in a request to be moved to a separate cell, away from those two! I'll never get any sleep at the rate they're going!"

"Sorry, Wendy," Leera purred, getting up from his bunk and going over to the empty one next to it. "Maybe later."

"Yeah, sure, whatever," he mumbled, still blushing furiously from being caught. "You mean, if we ever get out of this mess."

"Oh, we will, Wendy. Have a little faith. Even if it means dying, we'll get out of this somehow."

"Well, that's reassuring," he grumbled. 

"So, when's the wedding?" Vay asked.

"What?!"

"I heard what you two were talking about a minute ago. I just wanna know when Leera's gonna become my daughter-in-law!"

Pleakley shrugged and turned away. "As soon as we get out of here, I guess. We've already waited eight years. No sense in putting it off any longer, right?" He glanced over at Leera, who nodded in agreement. 

"Right. This has had to be the longest engagement period in the universe. And you have no idea how frustrating it's been! Damned if I'm gonna wait till our wedding night to have s-"

"Ssshhh!" Pleakley shushed her, looking fearful.

Leera glared at him suspiciously. "What? I think your mother already knows we -"

"No, ssssshhhhhh! I hear something! Listen."

And sure enough, the faint clink of Kaizaxx hooves down the outer corridor grew louder, as at least two guards walked past their cell. They were speaking, arguing with each other in a language Pleakley could not understand. After they had gone, he looked around the room at the three women, whose faces seemed to mirror the same thought. 

"What happened? What did they say?" he demanded.

Leera turned to him and said quietly, "It sounds like Le'Kruune is finally starting to lose it. According to those guys, he just killed another officer. Dismembered him. And apparently he's keeping some of the pieces, so the corpse can't put itself back together again."

At this, Pleakley winced. 

"Plus it sounds like some of his men are plotting a conspiracy against him," added the grand councilwoman. "But I think they're afraid to share that plan with anyone else, and with good reason. Most of the Kaizaxx still swear allegiance to him."

Then Vay spoke up. "Oh, and they said something about the human, too."

Pleakley looked at her sharply. "Lilo?"

"Yes. She seems to be sick or something. She hasn't moved for hours."


	34. Dead to Me

Disclaimer: I do not own "Lilo & Stitch" or any of the characters therein.

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE:  
DEAD TO ME

"What do you mean, they're gone?!!" shouted Nani, looking hysterical. "How - how could Pleakley have gotten past us without our knowing?" 

But Cobra was too busy to reply. He was already giving orders for his men to search the woods for the alien and little girl. Nani followed him closely as he paced about, informing a CIA agent who was in the town of the situation on his cell phone. 

"How could they have gotten out? Where do they think they're going to go? What are we going to do?!!" Nani demanded, mostly of herself, though hoping that Cobra would for once volunteer a helpful answer… ANYTHING… as long as it wasn't classified. Meanwhile, Jumba sat silently on the couch, watching the two humans with a strangely distant look on his face which neither of them seemed to notice. Nani continued her ranting while Cobra described the situation over the phone.

"…that Lilo would even THINK about doing something so stupid…"

"…has a little girl with him, too. Black hair, brown eyes, seven years old. About three foot two. Last seen wearing a…" 

"…should have named her Lolo! I swear, if she doesn't come back alive, I'm gonna KILL her!!!"

"…will be in disguise. Yes, he's wearing that black wig of his… Mm-hm… and that God-awful muumuu…"

Just then, Jumba decided to speak up. 

"Eh, you know there IS somethingk ve could be doingk that vould be highly effective and yet vould not involve gettingk up off our patookis."

Nani stopped in mid-pace and Cobra covered the phone with one hand and looked at him expectantly.

"And that is…?"

On the couch, Jumba shifted uncomfortably and scratched the back of his head.

"Vell, I vas thinking ve could maybe make contact vith Galactic Alliance now. Grand councilvoman owes me favor for top secret something-or-other, vhich I shouldn't mention because she vill undoubtedly put plasma cannon to my head and say '_hast la vista,_' like dramatic homage to Terminator man."

Cobra appeared to be considering this suggestion. After a moment, however, he took off his Ray-Bans and told the four-eyed alien sitting in front of him that to take such an action was still highly risky, and that they were supposed to wait for the Alliance to make first contact. In the meantime, Stitch had gone out into the woods ahead of the CIA in an effort to track down the missing pieces of his ohana. When he came back in minutes later, followed breathlessly by two of Cobra's colleagues, he announced in a clumsy Turian sprinkled with English that the scent-trail he had been following had ended abruptly about a quarter to a half mile down the mountain, in a small clearing. It was quickly deduced that the two missing persons, Lilo and Pleakley, had been abducted by the Kaizaxx. Jumba, startled though not really surprised by this news, suggested again that they call the Galactic Alliance, as they no longer had to worry about having their calls intercepted and traced back to Earth. Without further hesitation, the call was made, but when Cobra requested to speak with the grand councilwoman, he was met with a solemn reply.

* * * *

When two guards came down to D9 to feed gruel to the prisoners, Pleakley seized upon the opportunity to inquire about Lilo. They could offer very little information, aside from the fact that the human child was indeed ill, and that Le'Kruune had sent a physician down to examine her before going down to see her for himself. In his deteriorated mental state, it seemed that the Kaizaxx dictator had suddenly taken a strange interest in the little Earth girl. Fearing what that 'interest' might entail, Pleakley had demanded to see Lilo and Le'Kruune immediately, under the justification of being the only person aboard the ship who knew Lilo and could take care of her. Though it was claimed that Le'Kruune was currently indisposed, the guards had consented to relay Pleakley's message to him as soon as possible. When the guards had gone, Pleakley sat despairingly on his mother's bunk, his face in his hands as he tried to maintain his composure. Seeing that her son was so visibly worried about the human, Vay laid a gentle hand on his shoulder and said, "Don't worry, sweetie. I don't think he's going to hurt her."

"But how do you know?" he demanded, looking up at her sharply. "You saw what he did to those two officers earlier! And you know what a monster he is. Now that he's losing his marbles, who knows what he's capable of!"

"He's always been capable of a lot of things, but that doesn't mean he's going to do anything rash," Leera reminded him. "We're talking about an exotic alien species here. That little human could be worth quite a bit, and you know Le'Kruune won't let any harm come to it as long as he deems it valuable to him."

Pleakley turned to look at her. "You may be right, but as long as he doesn't find out that there are over six billion _more_ humans where she came from, then Lilo ought to be very valuable indeed."

"He shouldn't find out. Nobody knows as much about Earth as _you_, Wendy." 

Pleakley blushed slightly as Leera's eye widened in shock. 

"Did you say six _billion_?!!"

From her silent and shadowed corner of the room, the grand councilwoman stirred. 

"I daresay Horsthar will _not_ mistreat Lilo," she said quietly, and everyone turned to look at her. 

There was a heavy look in her fathomless dark eyes as she leaned forward into the dim light of the nocturnal shift. 

"For as long as I've known him, he has never intentionally harmed a child. Underneath that ruthless exterior, he has a certain soft spot for children. I won't say I know where it comes from, but I do know that it is there."

"Yeah, well, no doubt he's sired plenty of illegitimate offspring in his lifetime," Leera replied bitterly. "However, I seriously doubt he's the type of father who shares any relationship with his kids other than DNA." 

For the briefest of seconds, ZaiLeia appeared to be offended by this statement, though she did not argue with the younger woman. The conversation quickly steered back to Lilo, and Pleakley was once again near to panicking.

"What're we going to _do_?!!" he demanded shrilly. "God, if anything happens to Lilo, I'll never forgive myself, and neither will Nani."

"Who's Nani?" Leera asked.

"She's Lilo's big sister. She's been taking care of her ever since their parents passed away. I moved in with them a year and a half ago. They're very nice, although Nani can be a little overbearing at times. 'Course, I don't blame her. She has to put up with that mad scientist Jumba Jookiba and his six-hundred-odd experiments. Not to mention an obnoxiously adorable little sister. But that's ohana for you." 

"What is ohana?" Leera asked, sitting down beside him. Pleakley looked up at her and replied, "It's an old Hawaiian word that has a lot of meaning behind it. Foremost, it means 'family.' It also means that nobody gets left behind, or forgotten. And it is the unconditional love that a family shares. That's what I found on Earth, and I wouldn't trade it for…" he locked eyes with his fiancee before catching a glimpse of his mother behind her, "…well, _almost_ anything."

Leera smiled softly and glanced down at her hands. "Well, I'm glad you found them," she said, though Pleakley wasn't sure that she sounded sincere. 

"All the long years we were separated, I had always hoped you would find true happiness somewhere, even though you said that… that…" she trailed off, her throat tightening as she feared to finish her sentence. 

"Even though I said I could _never_ be happy, not even in Heaven, if _you _weren't there by my side?" he finished for her in an odd tone that made her jerk her head up and look at him.

"Well, yes," she whispered, suddenly looking fearful. The look on his own face was unreadable. 

"You have no idea how much it pained me to leave you, Wendy; to take that happiness away from you. I prayed and prayed that you would just be able to forget about me and go on with your life, as if I had never been, because you can never miss what you never had."

The look on Pleakley's face just then was that of clearly defined exasperation.

"Forget about you?!! How could I forget about you and go on with my life, when you _were_ my life! And don't talk to _me_ about pain. _You_ obviously have no idea what it's like to wake up one morning to find the love of your life gone! And a suicide note!" The bitterness in his voice made Leera cringe. 

"…Couldn't even tell me where you were going! As if I was in any kind of danger! All you had to do was tell me; _tell_ me you were going to go on an undercover mission to kill Le'Kruune, and I would have followed you to my death just to keep my promise! What, did you not think I was being serious when I vowed to murder that bastard for what he did to you? Do you think I was just saying it for dramatic emphasis? Or didn't you think I could actually DO it?!!"

"I know you would have if -"

"And why didn't you try to contact me? And don't give me that line about not wanting to jeopardize my safety! It would have been worth the risk just to know that you were alive and well the whole time!"

"I _couldn't _contact you because I knew Le'Kruune would have intercepted my call and traced it to you! You _know_ what he would have done to you if he _had_?!!"

"I know very well the methods of torture he likes to use! But, oohhh, what's a little physical pain compared to the torture of losing the woman I love?!!"

"But Wendy, I was afraid! I had no idea what he might do! I was afraid he would kill you! It was just too big a risk! I couldn't let it happen, not at any expense! _I love you!"_

The look Pleakley turned on her just then was one of fire and ice. "Do you?" he asked her quietly, and though his tone was soft, there was acid in his words. Leera did not answer. She couldn't. Any burning desire to yell out _'of course!' _died instantly at the furious look on her lover's face.

"I think we differ a little in our definitions of love," he told her, quite simply. "See, _I_ was under the impression that if you love someone, I mean really and truly LOVE them, then you would risk anything to be with them, and that _their _happiness is more important than your own."

"It _is_, Wendy! You're not being fair! You have no idea what I was going through at the time! Yes, I made some foolish mistakes, but I couldn't just drop everything and come running back to you. Not after what I'd already accomplished. Le'Kruune vowed to kill me, and everyone I cared about, if I didn't surrender to him. I wasn't about to surrender, and I wasn't about to lead him back to Iyerba, either. And I _certainly_ wasn't about to lead him anywhere near _you_! Don't you see?!! I was only thinking about _you_!!!"

For a moment Pleakley appeared to be considering this. "Yes. I see now. I see you were _thinking, _but apparently you weren't thinking very clearly, and for some reason I have the feeling that you weren't thinking of ME so much as you were thinking of yourself! Because I can't for the life of me find even a speck of reasoning in your argument. If it had been me, I would have risked anything to be with you. _Anything._"

"Then you would have risked MY life as well as yours?" Leera demanded. "Is that really a risk worth taking to you? Funny, I always thought that was considered selfish, risking the life of another just to gratify yourself. If your own happiness is really so important, then you obviously have no love for anyone other than yourself! If I had chosen that route, I'd be just as much to blame for causing you pain as I am now. I can't win either way with you. I'm damned if I do, and damned if I don't. Not that it makes any difference now. I've been damned my whole life for one reason or another, but for the last eight years I've been battling that damnation just so I could be with you again! _You_, Wendy, and no one else. You're my only family, and I love you."

"Don't you DARE talk to me about family," Pleakley growled in a tone so threatening that Leera shuddered. "If you knew anything about family…" he began, his face darkening, "then you'd know that's something we can never be. Not after what you did to me. No. Family means nobody gets left behind, or forgotten, but you left me behind long ago."

"But Wendy, I -"

"No. Forget it. What's done is done. You left, and I adjusted to that fact. It took me years of excruciating pain, but I adjusted. All you're doing is opening old wounds. But you're still dead to me, and that's how you're going to stay."

And without another word, Pleakley crossed the room to his bunk and lay down on it, facing the wall.

* * * *

Oooohhhh, angsty, huh? I had to agree with those of you who expressed disbelief at how readily Pleakley had accepted Leera's return. I knew that such a conflict would be inevitable, but I had to wait until the honeymoon phase was over before the domestic turmoil could truly begin. Just like in real life. WOW!!! I just realized it's been exactly one month since my last update to this story! Shame on me! December is always a hectic month for me. That, and the fact that my computer was down for two weeks doesn't help any. And to those of you who are reading "Jumba's Story," I probably will not update it at all until after I have finished "Pleakley's Story," which ought to pick up speed now that I'm in writing gear again. The only problem with that is that I never know what I'm gonna write next. It could be another chapter of this story, or it could be poetry, short stories, or the novel I'm working on. Anywho, I promise I will not fall this far behind again, if I can help it. Please R&R. It makes me feel needed and loved! ^_^


	35. Lilo and Le'Kruune

Disclaimer: I do not own "Lilo & Stitch" or any of the characters therein.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR:  
LILO AND LE'KRUUNE

She lay in utter silence and darkness, the walls of her prison cold and uncaring to her touch. Cold. Colder than ice, colder than loneliness, a stainless steel prison of unfathomable dimension. Beyond the screaming silence, beyond the glaring darkness, it was the burning coldness that she hated the most about this place. It was the last thing she remembered before falling asleep, and the first thing to greet her upon awakening. Absolute zero.In the haze of the passing hours, several specters came to pay her a visit in her delirium; many monstrous entities for which her fading mind could form no description or explanation. She did not wonder about these apparitions, for the memory of them vanished as quickly as the visitors themselves. She did not even feel the calloused fingers of the physician as he examined her, so numb was she from the cold. No longer bothering with the struggle, Lilo ceased her cry and sighed heavily into the impenetrable blackness, surrendering herself to the deepest regions of sleep, her mind and heart sinking like a stone into an icy abyss.

* * * *

Within an hour after being abducted, the little human-creature had begun to show symptoms of illness; symptoms, the physician explained, which suggested some sort of shock in reaction to her new environment. Since next to nothing was known about her species, the physician could guarantee little hope for her survival. This was all Le'Kruune had needed to hear to rush down to Quarantine to inspect the youngling alien for himself. When he arrived, he dismissed the guards and entered the chamber alone and unarmed. Inside the large, unfurnished room, an ancient vent made a raspy whisper from the ceiling as stale, contaminated air was filtered out and replaced with purified air. The sudden rush of cold, clean air caused Lilo to shiver in the far corner where she lay curled up on the stainless steel floor. Le'Kruune spotted her immediately and walked slowly toward her, his hooves remarkably silent against the steel. Bending over, he rested a claw on the little girl's head, then removed it, anticipating a response. When she didn't stir, he reached down and, with the utmost care, lifted her up into his arms.

If any of his other prisoners had been there to see, they would have stared disbelieving as Le'Kruune, ruthless dictator, rapist, murderer, and monster, tenderly held and cradled an ailing human child, with all the apparent concern of a devout father. For countless long moments he continued to hold her, the abysmal black holes of his eyes regarding her with feelings as alien to him as the girl herself. As she moaned in her sleep and snuggled, unaware, against his chest, Le'Kruune could not help but let a small smile cross his scarred face. _Such a perfect specimen,_ he thought to himself. _Such a beautiful child…_

* * * *

**__**

FLASHBACK:

It was too soon. Way too soon. With nearly four weeks left to go, there had to be a problem. Babies born this prematurely rarely survived. This one HAD to. It was her first, and, at her present age and condition, likely to be her last. She was strong, therefore the baby had to be strong also. It could survive; it WOULD. She knew it would, for she herself had been born prematurely. Coming from a long line of survivors, of battle-hardened warriors, it would not be acceptable in the least for this baby to die. No. It wasn't going to happen. She would see this baby safely into the universe, or die trying. When the last contraction came, something wrenched violently inside her, tearing itself free from the prison within. Clamping her jaws firmly shut, she refused to scream. She had known pain as bad as this before. She could handle it. In the Gyu -Tek - Shi'il wars she had been shot eight times, impaled on steel rods, burned, and nearly eviscerated, and she had overcome all that and gone home a decorated war heroine. Yet none of that could have prepared her for the agony of childbirth.

Now, as the baby's head crowned, ZaiLeia Miik refused to admit defeat. She had been through too much to let another fragile life slip through her fingers. Of all those whom she had served and protected throughout her life, this child would be the single most important one of all. There was a deadly silence as the baby slipped out of her body and into the obstetrician's hands, shattered in a glorious instant as it let out its first shrill cry announcing its arrival. ZaiLeia let out an enormous sigh of relief as the doctor approached her with her newborn wrapped in a small white blanket.

"Congratulations, your highness. It's a girl."

Her heart melted as the tiny bundle was placed in her anxiously awaiting arms.

"She's so beautiful," a nearby orderly said breathlessly. 

"Yes," ZaiLeia said hoarsely, a proud smile on her pale face. "I can even see a little of her father in her," she added, regarding her coloring. The infant's skin was a warm lavender with bright orange markings on her head and limbs, and light, silvery blue eyes the same as her mother's.

As if on cue, the door to the delivery room burst open and Horsthar Le'Kruune skidded to a halt at the foot of the bed. Breathing heavily, he made no attempt to regain his composure as he stared at ZaiLeia and the baby. Glaring back at him, ZaiLeia noticed his crooked belt and unkempt uniform. She knew where he had been; why he hadn't shown up until now, though she had been in labor for the past sixteen hours. If THAT was really more important to him than the birth of their child, then to hell with him. Still, it was his child, too, and as such…

"About time you showed up, Horsthar," she growled, as exhaustion threatened to overcome her. "Out demonstrating fair diplomacy, I assume?"

Le'Kruune said nothing; just continued staring at mother and child.

"Well, don't just stand there! There's someone I want to introduce you to."

As Le'Kruune stepped closer, ZaiLeia unwrapped the little bundle just enough for him to see inside. 

"Meet your daughter, Taisiya."


	36. An Unlikely Allie

Disclaimer: I do not own "Lilo & Stitch" or any of the characters therein.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE:  
AN UNLIKELY ALLIE 

For a quarter of an Earth hour Le'Kruune continued to cradle Lilo, his deranged mind projecting bittersweet images from the past onto her sleeping form. Twice she had stirred from her deep sedation to focus with bleary eyes on the imposing alien being that held her. Both times she had appeared unable to comprehend her situation. She simply stared back at the disfigured face of her captor, clueless as an infant in its unblinking gaze. Sinking into slumber after the second time, she began to writhe and whimper in her sleep, apparently caught up in a nightmare. It wasn't until her muffled vocalizations could be clearly deciphered that Le'Kruune began to worry about her. From deep-throated moans and agonized dreaming the youngling human began calling out for her mother, and the desperation in her cry was enough to bring even Le'Kruune to tears. As the child sobbed in her sleep, the Kaizaxx dictator fought staunchly against his own urge to sob, as he cradled her close and carried her out of Quarantine and up to his private suite.

* * * *

In detention cell D9, emotions were still running high, though not as high as they had been an hour ago, when the argument between Leera and Wendy had rendered both into speechless remorse in opposite corners of the room. Caught up in the middle after attempting to talk sense into her son, Vay Pleakley had given up for the time being and gone to sleep on the bunk nearest him which, prior to the argument, had been Leera's. Leera herself had chosen to move to the farthest of the four bunks, which had been Vay's, having mutually agreed with her that it was for the best. Though she was not the focus of Wendy's anger, Vay had unintentionally earned a little scorn from him when she had suggested that he try to see things from Leera's point of view, adding that he had not been in nearly as much pain as _she _had, having to continually battle against the monster who had so cruelly tortured and raped her.

To this Wendy had countered that no amount of physical pain could compare to the emotional agony that he had endured in thinking that Leera had killed herself. It was to this remark that Vay had responded with a deadly vehemence, and for the first time in her life, she had condemned her son for his heartless reasoning, cursed him for a deeply-rooted pain he would never understand. In the stunned silence that followed, he had appeared to understand, but understanding turned just as quickly to hurt and hurt to anger once again, and in his own pain and pride, he offered no apology, no acceptance, not a single spoken word. Instead, something in his demeanor had turned dark, as if a black veil had fallen over his face, and he had turned his back on all three women for the remainder of the nocturnal shift.

An hour later, the four cellmates were startled from sleep or contemplation by the turning of the bolt on the stainless steel door. Into the cell stepped two Kaizaxx officers, who strode straight over to the grand councilwoman's bunk. Without hesitation, one of the officers jabbed her sharply in the side with a taloned finger, fully awakening her to the pain it caused in her half-healed laser wound. Looking up at the two men, she growled threateningly, not the least bit intimidated at the sight of their hands resting intently on the handles of their plasma cannons, itching to pull them out of their holsters.

"What do you want?" she hissed.

"His Highness, Horsthar Eveth Xeyjii Le'Kruune, requests your presence in his private suite. You are to be escorted there immediately. Come," the officer who had jabbed her said in a gruff voice.

"And why the hell should I?" she demanded, equally gruff. Having been so rudely awakened, she was quite cross, though no more cross than she would have been anyway, considering her situation.

"Because his Highness commands it!" shouted the second officer. "And because we will not be stricken by his wrath for the insolence of a prisoner! Now, get up!" 

"The man is insane!" the grand councilwoman argued. "If he decides to take it out on you, that's none of my concern. I don't owe you my cooperation, nor do I owe that _thurgabbah kurrish'ta _a moment of my time!"

"You will NOT speak of his Highness in that manner!" the first officer hissed, baring his teeth. ZaiLeia was not to be put out by his threatening tone.

"I will speak of that bastard any way I please!" she retorted, baring her own teeth in an equally threatening gesture. "His Highness indeed! Mister Too-High-and-Mighty-to-Flog-His-Own-Trog is more like it. He -" But her next words were cut off by a sharp, back-handed blow to the mouth that knocked her off her bunk and onto the floor. Standing over her, the first officer pulled out his plasma cannon and aimed it point blank at her face. 

"Murg, are you insane?!" exclaimed the second officer, alarmed by his comrade's actions. "We're not supposed to assault any of the prisoners. Especially this one! If his Highness finds out what you -"

Murg swung around and pointed the cannon in the other man's face. "What I did was not without warrant! This bitch had it coming to her! She's - UUUUGGGHHH!!!" He crumpled to the floor in that instant as ZaiLeia's foot flew up and met his groin. Hoisting herself up a little, she smiled wickedly at Murg, who lay curled in a fetal position in front of her.

"Don't just stand there, you moron!" he growled at his colleague. "Take her down! NOW!"

Hesitantly, the second officer pulled out his cannon and aimed it at her, ordering her to get up and put her hands behind her back. She complied, but did not wait to be handcuffed. Instead, she strolled slowly out of the cell and into the corridor, a serene smile on her thin lips as the second officer followed her every move. A few moments later, Murg climbed to his feet and bolted out the door after them. Before ZaiLeia could turn to face him, he had thrown himself against her, shoving her violently against the wall. One clawed hand wrapped tightly around her neck, his other hand wandered down to her waist, seizing hold of her belt.

"You have no idea how long I've wanted to do this," Murg hissed, both hands clenched as if he intended to tear through both flesh and fabric. The maniacal gleam in his eyes as his face neared hers was all too quickly replaced by a blank look of shock, followed by a hoarse moan as his entire body fell limp against her own. ZaiLeia wriggled out from beneath him as he collapsed to the floor. For a moment she sat on the floor, staring disbelieving at the gaping hole in the back of his head. Something soft touched her arm, and she glanced up quickly to see the other officer, a somber look on his face and a smoking plasma cannon dangling from his other hand. For a long moment, there was silence. He looked at her, then shamefacedly glanced at his comrade's lifeless body, then just as quickly down at the floor.

"You didn't have to do that," the grand councilwoman said quietly. 

"I know," he replied, his voice as distant as his gaze. It occurred to her suddenly how young the man was; his second set of antlers barely beginning to fork. By her reckoning, he would be no older than her own daughter, had she been…

"What I meant to say is… thank you."

The man blushed slightly and offered his hand. She took it, and he helped her to her feet. For a moment, she stood up straight, regarding him, before her legs buckled and she nearly collapsed to the floor. Thin, muscular arms caught her up and restored her, then quickly let go as the young Kaizaxx guard mumbled an apology and suggested that they hurry before Le'Kruune became impatient and killed them both.

"Not that _you_ have anything to worry about," he told her on the way to his suite. "He has no further plans to assassinate you. But _me_, on the other hand… and after what I did to Murg…"

"Maybe you won't have anything to worry about, either," she assured him. "I will corroborate with what happened back there. If he really wants me alive, he'll promote you to captain for what you did."

The man chuckled. "I highly doubt that. At the very least, it'll save my hide for a few days. There's no telling when he's gonna snap next. You saw what happened to Salwen."

"Ah, yes," she nodded, remembering the man who had been killed several hours earlier. "The former lieutenant?"

"That's correct."

"And the new lieutenant?"

"You're looking at him."

ZaiLeia stopped in her tracks. "_You_?!"

He nodded. "Yes, Ma'am. My name is Mackayl. And Murg, the guy I killed back there, _he _was the one who should have been lieutenant, not me. And Le'Kruune shot him for saying so. He was up in arms all night because of it. I think that's mostly why he assaulted you. Not because of _you_, but because of _me_. And _him_." He nodded toward the hallway ahead. The door to Le'Kruune's private suite was at the far end of it, and for the briefest of seconds, ZaiLeia was sure she saw her escort tremble. 

"Why _did_ you do it?" she asked him.

"Do what?" he asked, puzzled.

"Kill the man. Murg. You didn't have to, you know. I was in no immediate danger."

At this, Mackayl looked troubled, as if the act he had committed was already weighing heavily against his conscience. He slowed in his step, and after a long moment of silence, spoke up.

"Because I know the man." He made a choking noise in his throat. _"Knew_ him. He was dangerous, but I know you could have handled him if you weren't already wounded. I didn't want to do it, though. I don't like to kill. I don't even know what I'm doing here." He said this in a tone that pleaded for her understanding and forgiveness.

"Le'Kruune made me believe things. Terrible things. He has a great gift for spreading propaganda against the Federation. By the time I got as far as I had among the Kaizaxx, I had learned that everything he had ever told me was a lie. But by then it was too late. I could never go back to the Federation after that. I knew that if I tried to break with the Kaizaxx, that I would either be executed for mutiny or imprisoned for treason to the Federation. And Murg reminded me of that constantly. He was always waiting for men like me to falter, just so he alone could single them out and raise himself up another notch in the eyes of Le'Kruune. That was the trouble with him. He was a lot like Le'Kruune. _Too_ much like him. Rumor has it he was another one of his bastard children. I wouldn't doubt it. Rumor has it _I'm _one, too." 

ZaiLeia glanced at him, then looked down at the floor. There was a lot she wanted to say just then, but there was no place to start and it would all be in vain, and now there was no time to even begin because they were already nearing the end of the hall. She marveled at this young man; heard plainly the frightened child calling out from somewhere deep within, and wondered what miraculous strength had seen him through among a society of barbarians known as the Kaizaxx. They paused before the door to Le'Kruune's private suite, as Mackayl nodded to the two guards who stood sentry outside. Just then, the young man's demeanor changed, and he became sullen and stern-faced as he announced the prisoner's name and purpose to the other men. They, in turn, contacted their leader via the intercom panel on the door, and within moments the grand councilwoman was ushered inside. With a last glance back at Mackayl, she stepped across the threshold and prepared herself to face Le'Kruune. 

* * * *

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

This is just to inform all of my readers that I have posted pictures of some of the characters in this story. These include Vay, Vay and a baby Wendy, Le'Kruune's boudoir photo of Vay (the one he showed Wendy in CH. 12 "What's in the Box?") Le'Kruune himself, Leera, and Taisiya. These pics can be found at Gay Aliens in Yahoo Groups. This is a Jumba/Pleakley slash fansite. Consequently, it is also an adult site, so you must be able to register as an adult to be able to view it. My pictures are in the Gay Aliens Fan Art photo album in the PHOTOS section. I am sorry I cannot provide a link to this site. I have tried, but I seem to be having some technical difficulties with it. Until I can figure out how to post these in a better place, you can either view them at the Gay Aliens Yahoo Group or put in a personal request to me, and I will attempt to send you the pics in an email attachment. This may take a few separate emails, but I will try to honor anyone's requests. I know some of you are already members of Gay Aliens, so no doubt you have already seen the pics. As for everyone else… either join the group or send me a request! Also, if the pics don't seem to satisfy you, then please let me know what you might like to see in terms of my story or characters, and I might work on some more fanart. - Twilit Violet

P.S.: Thank you, Tortured Artist, for the heads-up on the chapter posting rule.


	37. Tears for Taisiya

Disclaimer: I do not own "Lilo & Stitch" or any of the characters therein, with the exception of Leera, Le'Kruune and Taisiya.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX:  
TEARS FOR TAISIYA

The interior of Le'Kruune's private suite was swathed in shadows. All the lights were dimmed, and a chill gust of air greeted the grand councilwoman the moment the door opened for her. She stepped inside cautiously, a faint anxiety growing inside her as she glanced about the room. From out of nowhere, something seemed to be whispering a warning to her, and she took heed, guarding herself against some unnamable dread. Aside from her own shallow breathing, it was silent. Where was Le'Kruune? As if in answer to her unasked question, the door to his sleeping quarters opened, and Le'Kruune descended in a flowing crimson robe. His face was unreadable as he turned his one good eye on her. For a long moment, the two stood staring at each other, before Le'Kruune lifted up a long, taloned finger and beckoned her forward. The grand councilwoman hesitated, then approached him.

"ZaiLeia."

Le'kruune's voice was distant and toneless. His eye broke from hers and cast dejectedly to the floor. He sighed; a deep, heart-wrenching sigh that caught ZaiLeia off-guard. She studied him curiously, but did not speak. When he looked up at her again, she was startled to see the distinct glimmer of a tear in his eye. 

"Come."

He turned slowly and glanced back at her, an indication for her to follow. She did, albeit reluctantly, though something told her that this was very important. The two walked into his bedroom, and almost instantly ZaiLeia spotted the little human girl tucked under the covers in the middle of his king-sized bed. _Lilo! _What in the cosmos was she doing in here?! The same horrifying thought that would surely have crossed Pleakley's mind upon seeing her rose up in ZaiLeia's own mind for a moment. But when she saw the look of genuine concern on Le'Kruune's scarred face as he sat down on the edge of the bed next to the little girl, she knew there was no need to worry about any ill intentions on his part. ZaiLeia herself leaned over the bed to get a good look at the sleeping Lilo. When she looked up at Le'Kruune, she mirrored his concern.

"What's the matter with her?" she asked in a whisper. "Is she okay?"

Le'Kruune looked sadly at the little girl, shaking his head.

"That's why I called for you. She needs you."

ZaiLeia looked at him questioningly.

"Me? Why does she need _me_?"

"She's been asking for you, Zai. There's nothing I can do for her. But you can."

The grand councilwoman was confused. "Why would she ask for _me_, Horsthar? How can _I_ help her?"

The look Le'Kruune gave her just then was beseeching; desperate. On the verge of tears. "Because you're her _mother_, Zai."

She stared at him in disbelief. "_What_?!!"

"She's sick, Zai. She needs you. Take care of her."

"What are you talking about?" she demanded. "This isn't my daughter!"

Le'Kruune sighed irritably, lowering the covers and lifting the unconscious youngling to his chest. "Dammit, Zai, don't play games with me. Taisiya is very ill. Can't you see that?"

Stunned by the mentioning of that name, the grand councilwoman stood staring at him for a moment before sitting down on the bed opposite him. She couldn't believe this. Even though the past two days had shown her firsthand that Le'Kruune was going insane, she still could not believe this. Taking a deep breath, she put a hand to Lilo's forehead. It was warm to the touch; warmer than she believed it should be, though she knew very little about her species.

"I can see she's not well," she admitted. "But what I _don't _see is how _you_ -" she looked up at Le'Kruune again and stopped. The corners of his mouth were down-turned and twitching, and his brow was knitted with worry. There was no mistaking the pained look on his disfigured face. ZaiLeia's own face fell at the sight. He really and truly believed that Lilo was their daughter. And he cared. He _cared _about her. No. More than that. He _loved _her. This was not so surprising, however. In spite of his infamy as a heartless, murderous demon, he had always loved their daughter. Of the dozens of children he had undoubtedly sired, Taisiya had been his favorite, his pride, and quite possibly the only child he would admit to having any genetic relationship with. Now, seeing the pain and compassion so evident on his face, ZaiLeia could not help but sympathize with him. He had been a pretty good father, she had to admit, but that could not change what had happened twenty years earlier.

"Here," ZaiLeia said, holding her arms out. "Give her to me."

Le'Kruune obliged, handing the snoring bundle over to her. The grand councilwoman looked her over silently. Lilo was pale. Dark circles were forming under her eyes, and her breathing was shallow and slightly labored. Aside from her forehead, which was hot with fever, her skin was cool and clammy. Her mouth hung open a little, and a thin trail of drool traced from the corner of it down to her neck.

"She appears to be in shock," she told him. "This environment is completely different from what she is used to. And I wouldn't doubt that there are a number of alien bacteria aboard this ship that are only aggravating her condition. What may be harmless to _us _could be lethal to _her_. The best thing you can do for her is to return her to her home planet immediately."

The look Le'Kruune gave her just then was one of utter disbelief. "What the hell are you talking about? You speak of her as though she was some kind of alien!"

ZaiLeia sighed irritably. "That's because she _is _some kind of alien."

"Well, that's a fine way to talk about your daughter, Zai!" 

"For the last time, Horsthar, this is not our daughter! This is a human child from the planet Earth. You abducted her along with Agent Pleakley. You're going insane. Your molecular map is breaking down. If you were in your right mind, you would see clearly that this child doesn't even look anything like us!"

Le'Kruune just stared at her. "I think it's obvious what the problem is here," he said very quietly, and in a tone that chilled. He stood up, pointing a finger at the grand councilwoman. "You've lost it, Zai. You've lost it. You've finally snapped. I knew I shouldn't have trusted you to take care of Taisiya. Being with _you_ is probably what's made her sick in the first place. _You_!" He snorted. "Trying to be her father as well as her mother! You never were the maternal type. But this is too extreme. You sit there and you dare to deny your daughter, even while you're holding her in your arms! Here, give her back to me. I'm keeping her. She's not safe with you anymore. She'll end up dead in your care."

At these words, something twanged painfully inside them both, though only ZaiLeia recognized the feeling for what it was. Le'Kruune leaned toward her with his arms outstretched, ready to take the child from her. She pulled away from him then, and her eyes narrowed to slits. A burning magma of pain and rage was welling up inside her, but she did not fight to keep it pent up any longer. "This isn't Taisiya, you idiot! This is an alien!" 

Le'Kruune glared at her in disbelief. His arms dropped to his sides. "Don't say that, Zai. You're hurting her. How can you talk about your own daughter like - "

"Dammit, Horsthar! This is NOT Taisiya! Taisiya is _dead_! She died twenty years ago! She caught the txacchioblerrus virus and _died_ at the age of nine!"

"But -"

"She's _dead_! DEAD! Do you hear me?! DEAD, DEAD, DEAD! Gone! Forever! Dead! SHE - IS - _DEAD_!!!"

The word echoed hideously into the heavy silence that followed. Le'Kruune stared unseeing at ZaiLeia, his eye glazing over as realization dawned in his ravaged mind. She was huffing, a pained look on her face as she glared back at him, willing him to understand. After what seemed like an eternity, he came out of himself. He glanced down at Lilo, then up at the woman holding her, his expression a mixture of awe and horror. ZaiLeia said nothing. Slowly, she laid the little girl down on the bed, then looked back up at Le'Kruune. The instant their eyes met, it happened. Something sparked between them. Love. A mutual love, consummated in the form of that gift that they had given to each other. Their daughter. Taisiya. In spite of all the years of open hatred toward one another, that one most precious treasure that they had once shared could never be denied. And that was more than enough to send them both sobbing into each other's arms.


	38. Dark Before Dawn

I do not own "Lilo & Stitch" or any of the characters therein.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN:  
DARK BEFORE DAWN

It did not take long for Le'Kruune to become exhausted from crying and fall asleep. The grand councilwoman continued to lay with him in her arms until their tears stopped flowing and Le'Kruune's breathing relaxed and he was silent and still. Though the last hour had been trying for her as well, she forced herself to remain awake for the sake of the ailing human girl tucked under the covers next to her. 

_Poor Lilo. How did you ever get mixed up in all of this? I placed you and your family under the protection of the United Galactic Federation, and what good has that done so far? It was I who issued that decree, and it is I who is responsible for you now._

ZaiLeia sat up slowly, carefully laying Le'Kruune back down on the bed as she did so, then turned over to look at Lilo. Still asleep. Good. Sitting up in the middle of the large bed between the two, she gazed about the darkened room as though searching for an idea of what to do next. She knew she could not wait around until 'His Majesty' woke up. There was no telling what mood he would be in, much less his level of sanity. It was just too risky, especially for Lilo. Thus far she had been lucky, but in the right state of mind he might easily view her as something threatening and - well, one did not have to stop and think about the possibilities. No, best to start formulating a plan now, while the big lug was still out. Come to think of it, a plan B wouldn't hurt either. ZaiLeia had a feeling they'd be up to plan X by the time they managed to escape. _IF _they managed. 

After several minutes of pondering, she had an idea. Off of the top of her head, it wasn't a bad one, but it was quite risky nonetheless. It was really a two-part plan, and part one was getting Lilo out of Le'Kruune's suite and into young Agent Pleakley's care. She knew that, aside from the physician who had examined the girl earlier, that Wendy was really the best-qualified individual to look after her. There were only two ways that she could think of to pull this off. The first, and most obvious, was asking Le'Kruune, but again, she had no guarantee that he would be mentally stable enough to comprehend anything once he was awake. The second, and slightly less risky, was calling for assistance, but who aboard this ship would be willing to help? The answer was simple: Mackayl. But how to contact him from within Le'Kruune's private and heavily guarded suite? She had an idea, but would it work? There was only one way to find out.

Slowly, quietly, the grand councilwoman climbed out of bed and walked stealthily over to the other side of the room to where a small control panel rested on a desk. Reaching out a hand, she strained her eyes through the gloom until she was sure which buttons activated the intercom, then hesitated, taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly. If all went right, she would emulate Le'Kruune's voice and order the guards outside the suite to send for Mackayl. In truth, it would take little effort for her to sound like Le'Kruune, as his voice had a resonance that was not unlike her own, albeit deeper. Placing a finger on one of the panel's buttons, she hesitated again. She realized that she didn't know the names of the guards outside, but decided that it didn't matter. With Le'Kruune's erratic behavior as of late, they were unlikely to protest if she were to address them as 'Wingle' and 'Dingle,' or anything else, for that matter. All of Le'Kruune's men were afraid of him now, especially after his attack on Salwen and Murg. 

Without further adieu, ZaiLeia pressed the button down and held it. Eyes locked on the slumbering lump on the bed, she cleared her throat and said in a deep, velvety voice "…Mackayl?" 

She immediately released the button and held her breath, waiting. After a moment of deafening silence, the small speaker on the panel came alive with static and a man's reply: "Mackayl isn't here, Sir. He's gone back down to the bridge. Do you want me to send for him?"

"Yes. Tell him to hurry, and come straight in!"

"Yes, Sir!"

With a sigh of relief, ZaiLeia sat down at the edge of the bed and thought about her plan. She had known Le'Kruune to be a light sleeper, and it was nothing short of a miracle that he hadn't woken up to the sound of her voice. Perhaps, with his molecular map breaking down… He was doomed to a slow and (hopefully) agonizing demise, but waiting for him to pass from natural causes was NOT what ZaiLeia had in mind. For as long as he continued to live, he was dangerous, and even more so now than he ever was before. Best to do away with him while she had the chance. This was part two of her plan. But first she would see Lilo safely out of the way. That's where Mackayl came in. The minutes dragged on lamely as she waited for his arrival. And then - she heard it. The sound of a door, opening and closing, in the outer room. 

Peering cautiously out from the bedroom, she saw him, and breathed a second sigh of relief. The young Kaizaxx man stood alone in the middle of the room, looking up with a mixture of shock and ill-concealed delight to see the grand councilwoman descend the three steps from the bedroom to greet him. Before he could even open his mouth, she raised a finger to her lips in an indication of quiet.

"I need your help, Mackayl."

"You've got it! But what about His High- I mean, Le'Kruune?"

"Don't worry about him. He's asleep. _I'm _the one who sent for you, not him."

"Really? But how?"

"Apparently I can pull off a pretty convincing Horsthar impersonation."

Mackayl couldn't help but laugh at this. ZaiLeia's hand went up to her lips again and he stopped.

"You know the little human girl?"

"Yes, ma'am. She's in Quarantine."

ZaiLeia shook her head. "No. She's here. Horsthar brought her back to his bedroom."

Mayckayl's eyes widened in horror.

"It's not what you might think," she assured him. "He was worried about her and wanted to take care of her."

Again Mackayl looked shocked.

"It's a long story," ZaiLeia said hurriedly. "Trust me. He hasn't harmed her, but I want to get her out of here before -" she paused, wondering for the first time if it was really safe to tell him these things.

"Before you kill him?" Mackayl finished for her. ZaiLeia said nothing. She just looked at him, but the truth was there in her eyes, and he read it clearly. 

"Let me help you," he volunteered. "I want that bastard dead just as much as you do. Do you know what he did to my mother?" His voice cracked before he could regain his composure. "I mean, _please_. Let me help. You can't do this yourself. You'll never get out of here alive if you even try to kill him."

"No, Mackayl. I need you to take Lilo. She's very ill, and she needs to be with someone who knows how to take care of her, and the only person aboard this ship who can do that is Mr. Pleakley. They're family. Please, for my sake take her down to his cell so he can look after her. I will handle Horsthar."

A minute later the grand councilwoman reemerged from the bedroom bearing a small bundle wrapped in a large quilt from Le'Kruune's bed. 

"Here," she said quietly, holding her arms out to Mackayl. He hesitated a moment before taking the child into his own arms. 

"Take her straight down to Mr. Pleakley!"

Mackayl nodded and turned to go, but ZaiLeia put a hand on his shoulder and he stopped and looked back at her. There was a warm look in her dark, exotic eyes as she regarded the young man. On pure impulse, she leaned forward and kissed him tenderly on the cheek.

"Thank you," she said, smiling.

"You're more than welcome," Mackayl replied, blushing furiously. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

As soon as he was gone, ZaiLeia returned to the bedroom to find Le'Kruune still asleep. For a long minute or two she stood staring down at him, thinking. It was time. Time for part two of her plan. But was she really going to go through with it? For although she wanted him dead, she could not dispel the newly-revived feelings she had for him. He had given her the most precious gift in the universe, and he had shared her every joy and grief for that child from the day she was born until the day she had died. This same man who had fawned over their daughter and treated her like a princess had also raped, tortured and murdered countless individuals. Although he had always been the roguish type, it was not until after Taisiya's death that he had begun to let his true colors show. But were bloodlust and hatred _really _his true colors? Or wasn't there something more to him than that? 

Overwhelmed by these thoughts, the grand councilwoman sat down on the bed next to him, then reached out a hand to touch his face. He looked more peaceful now than she could ever remember seeing him, except… except for when Taisiya was alive. Those were his best years, as far as she knew. But after she died, he was never the same again. _Oh, Taisiya, are you what all the fuss is about? Did your leaving drive your father insane? I wouldn't doubt it. I almost went insane myself. It's funny, yet sad, the reasons for which most people turn out to be monsters. …Pain. It's always pain that turns to fury and hatred; that turns a loving father into a ruthless murderer. We all will lose someone along the way, and those who can't cope with the loss… _she gazed down at the sleeping Le'Kruune … _become someone like you._

ZaiLeia thought for a long time, struggling with herself, before finally deciding to proceed with her plan. Leaning over Le'Kruune, she picked up a pillow and hugged it to her chest like a baby. She saw his plasma cannon and hunting knife dangling from his belt, which was draped over a nearby chair, but did not go for either. Best to make it look like an accident. Like he had died in his sleep. The pillow would do nicely. Who would suspect Horsthar Le'Kruune to die of asphyxiation? If she wanted to make it out of there alive, she would have to appear innocent of his death at all costs.

Now, as she leaned toward him with the pillow in hand, she could not stop a small tear from streaming down her face. _Forgive me, God, for what I am about to do. Forgive me, Taisiya. I must free your father from his terrible existence. Forgive me, Horsthar, and may God have mercy on your soul. _


	39. Reunited and Reconciled

Disclaimer: I do not own "Lilo & Stitch" or any of the characters therein.

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT:  
REUNITED AND RECONCILED

It came as quite a surprise to see the Kaizaxx officer bearing the human child in his arms as he stepped into the cell with the remaining prisoners. Three large eyes stared wide in disbelief as Wendy, Leera and Vay looked down at Lilo, still asleep inside the ornate quilt. Mackayl laid her down on the one empty bunk (the one formerly occupied by the grand councilwoman) and proceeded to explain the situation. The three Plorginarians listened intently, the varying degrees of shock on their faces increasing as Mackayl revealed the grand councilwoman's, and his own, assassination plans for Le'Kruune. When he had finished, the three looked back and forth at each other, though Wendy and Leera made as little eye-contact as possible. Mackayl sensed the hostility between them, but did not inquire about it. Instead, he asked them a different question.

"You don't believe me, do you?"

There was a short silence before Vay answered. "Well, I _want_ to believe you, but…"

"That's okay," the man said dismissively. "I understand. I don't blame you. I won't even try to convince you. I don't have time to do that, anyway. I promised her highness I would come back and help her as soon as I could, and I've already been delayed long enough by Doctor Kierglaash. He tried to take the human away from me. Claimed she was a biohazard or something. I told him I had strict orders from the top, but that didn't help much."

As soon as he was gone, Wendy sat down on the bunk next to Lilo and unwrapped the quilt in order to get a good look at her. She was pale. He felt her forehead. Feverish, but not too bad. Poor kid. _Why did I ever let you talk me into this? If only we had stayed at the house. I've put you in the gravest danger, and now you're sick. I'm so sorry, Lilo._ Nearby, Leera fidgeted, watching him as he examined the little girl. 

"How is she?" she asked timidly.

"I don't know," Wendy replied flatly, not taking his eye off the child.

"Do you think that man was telling the truth? About wanting to help us?"

"How the hell should _I _know?!" he said irritably, making her cringe. "I don't have all the answers, okay? I don't have _any_ answers right now! And even if I did, what makes you think I would share them with _you_?!!"

"Alright, Wendy, that's enough!!!" Vay shouted in his face. "I'm getting sick and tired of your attitude towards Leera. Whatever your problem is, you need to stop taking it out on her! And don't try to tell me she IS the problem, because I know you don't really feel that way about her! You_ love _her, and you know it! Remember how much you cried when you thought she was dead?! I do. You were a wreck. I couldn't get you out of bed for a whole month - that's how upset you were! I know you're still hurting, but that's no reason to make Leera suffer, too! You two love each other, and you've been given a second chance that very few people ever get in their whole lives. Don't be stupid, Wendy. Don't waste that chance."

"But I -"

"But _nothing_!" Vay shouted. "I don't want to hear any excuses! Now shut up and kiss her before I smack some sense upside your head!" 

Stunned and silent, her son stared back at her. For a long moment, he was lost. Strong emotions of every sort bombarded him, fighting for control of his heart, until one rose up triumphantly over all: love. She was right. Of course she was. He still loved her with all his heart, and somewhere deep down, he had known it all along. Slowly, as though he was breaking out of a trance, he turned and looked at Leera. She looked back, her eye shining. Wendy stood up and walked toward her with his arms outstretched. She met him halfway, and the two fell sobbing into a strong embrace. 

"Oh, Leera…" Wendy rocked her in his arms and buried his face in her hair_. God, how could I have been so stupid?!_ He pulled back a little to look her in the eye. There was so much he felt like saying just then, but where to start? He opened his mouth to speak, but the words were lost on their way to his tongues as his lips found hers and they kissed, deeply and passionately.

"P-Pleakley?"  
Startled, Wendy broke the kiss and turned to look at Lilo, who was awake now and struggling to sit up.

"Lilo!" he shouted happily, rushing to hug her. "You're okay!"  
"Not if I have to go to school tomorrow," she replied groggily, hugging him back. He chuckled and planted a kiss on the top of her head.

"Eeewww, gross!" Lilo groaned, trying weakly to push him away. "You just kissed your girlfriend and now you're kissing me? Are you on a kissing spree or something? "

Wendy blushed and let go of her. He glanced over at Leera, then back at Lilo. "Who, _her_? She's not my girlfriend." He gave Leera a shifty look out of the corner of his eye and she glared back at him in disbelief. He smiled. "She's my financier."

Lilo looked puzzled. "Don't you mean 'fiancée?'"

"Oh, heavens no!" Wendy chuckled, waving a dismissive hand. "She's no better with money than _I_ am!"

He held a hand out and beckoned Leera to come over. When she stood by his side, he put an arm around her and beamed. "Leera, this is Lilo. Lilo, Leera."

They shook hands. "How do you do?" said Leera, smiling warmly at the little girl. "It's so nice to meet you! Wendy's told me a lot about you."

"Nice to meet you, too!" answered Lilo. "Pleakley's never mentioned you, so I can't tell you I've heard a lot about _you_!"

Leera shot him a sideways glance and he shrugged. 

"So are you two gonna get married?" Lilo asked. At this, Wendy smiled proudly again.

"You better believe it!" he exclaimed. 

For a moment Lilo appeared happy for him, then suddenly she seemed sad. "Does that mean you're gonna leave Earth and go back to Iheardja?"

"It's 'Iyerba,' and - well, we haven't really discussed it yet." He looked at Leera, who looked down at the floor. She closed her eye for a moment, thinking, then looked back at Wendy.

"You know, it's been so long since I last lived on Iyerba, and with my ongoing crusade against Le'Kruune, I haven't been able to stay in one place for more than a Nimh-moon.** I haven't felt this much at home since the last time we were together, and if I can feel at home with you aboard a Kaizaxx ship, then I know that wherever we decide to live will be home to me."

At this, Wendy smiled, then pulled her close and kissed her. They heard Lilo's quiet groan of disgust and giggled. He turned and looked down at her.

"Kiddo, you couldn't get rid of us if you tried!"

"Well, if you two are gonna be all kissy-kissy-lovie-dovie like that, then maybe you should just move back to Iyourbutt!"

Wendy gaped at her and she giggled. "Well, we'll TRY to be discreet about it!" he told her, blushing and grinning.

Lilo looked over at the other side of the room where Vay was sitting quietly on her bunk. "Hey!" she said loudly. "Don't I know you?"

Vay smiled in acknowledgement and walked over to her. 

"You're Pleakley's mother," Lilo stated. "I remember you now. You came to Earth last year to help him move in and rebuild our house!"

"That's right!" Vay replied, smiling more warmly at the little girl. "I helped design your bedroom and install the elevator, remember?"

"Yeah, and you also made great sandwiches! They were really good, especially your peanut-butter-fried-egg-chocolate-tomato-marshmallow-mayonnaise-and-bologna sandwiches! Those were my favorite!"

Vay laughed delightedly. "Well, I'm glad to hear _someone _likes them! I mean, besides us Pleakleys. Our family is rather notorious for its weird tastes!"  
"I kinda figured," said Lilo. "Especially after that time I caught Pleakley wearing my sister's bikini and rubbing barbeque sauce on his antenna!"

Wendy blushed bright red and Lilo giggled.

"Hardy-har-har," he said sarcastically. "At least it kept the mosquitoes away!"

"That still doesn't explain why you were wearing Nani's bikini!"

"I already explained! I told her I needed try it on before I went shopping for _my own _biki - I mean, swimsuit. You know they don't let you try 'em on in the stores!"

"You should've seen him!" Lilo giggled again, turning back to Vay. "I got a picture of it at home. I've got a lot of great pictures, especially with Pleakley and his Earth woman disguises! You wanna see 'em sometime?"  
"I'd love to!" Vay said, also giggling. "Wendy always did love to play dress-up, especially with _my_ clothes!" She looked over at her son, dressed in a violent orange muumuu with purple flowers all over it, and the black wig still in place ("It's cold in here, and the wig just happens to keep my antenna warm! Jeez, can't a guy keep warm AND look stylish at the same time?!!")

"Okay, laugh-at-Wendy's-expense time is over!" Wendy said, sounding a little cross. "Let's talk about something else now, shall we?"

* * * *

** A Nimh-moon is the complete cycle of Iyerba's smallest moon, Nimh, equivalent to two and a half Earth months.


	40. Lethal Liaison

Disclaimer: I do not own "Lilo & Stitch" or any of the characters therein.

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE:  
LETHAL LIAISON

Seconds ticked away into minutes as ZaiLeia fought against herself, trying to find the will to carry out her morbid plan. Tears rolled down her face and flames of love and hate seethed in her soul as she slowly lowered the pillow over the face of her estranged beau. With her last thread of conviction, she took a deep breath and whispered "Sweet dreams, Horsthar," as fabric made contact with flesh. She pressed down, gently at first and then harder, until his body twitched and jolted and he was awake, fighting for his life. He had barely begun to struggle when she climbed on top of him, straddling his waist. His arms and legs thrashed frantically. His groping hands found pieces of her and slashed at her with sharp talons. She winced at the pain but did not ease up any. With all of her strength (which was considerable) she shoved down hard on the pillow, smothering him. His flailings became more frantic, and he bucked underneath her, trying to throw her off. After countless long seconds of struggling, Le'Kruune arched his back in a final, mighty lurch and fell back against the mattress, then lay still. 

ZaiLeia continued to hold the pillow over his face for several seconds afterward, until she was certain that he was dead or at the very least, unconscious. Slowly and shakily, she removed the pillow, and gazed with a mixture of pain, pleasure and perplexity at the lifeless face of Horsthar Le'Kruune. _He's dead. You killed him._ While part of her was patting herself on the back and saying "Good for you!" another part was smothering her with the pillow-thick guilt of her crime. Overwhelmed, the grand councilwoman climbed slowly off of the body and turned away, still panting from her efforts. A dull throb in her side reminded her that she was wounded; that it was HE, the man she had just slain, who had given her that wound. He had tried to kill her, and for no greater reason than she had had to kill him. Weak and trembling, ZaLeia knelt down on the floor and sobbed. 

A white-hot pain roared in her flank and she found herself flying sideways into the stainless steel wall. Hunched over and clutching her newly-bleeding wound, she heard a low, blood-curdling growl and looked up in horror at the undead Le'Kruune. Too weak and in pain to move, she was helpless to stop him as he kicked her a second time. Then a third and fourth time. He seized her by the arm and pulled her roughly to her feet, only to send her falling back to the floor with a blinding punch in the face. He then threw himself upon her and began tearing at her with tooth and claw like a ravenous predator. ZaiLeia fought back, her strength diminished, until she managed to roll him over onto his back. She was on top of him again, but not for long. Le'Kruune swung his foot up and kicked her in the groin. Even though there was nothing there to damage, his hoof-like toes were hard and sharp and there had been enough force behind them to propel her several feet into the air. She tumbled over the bed and landed on the floor on the other side. Le'Kruune was on her again in an instant. He climbed over the bed, grabbed her by the collar and hoisted her up, then slammed her repeatedly against the wall. She tried to scream, but his claws quickly closed around her windpipe and she began to suffocate. Holding her by the neck, Le'Kruune turned and flung her hard onto the bed, then threw himself on top of her.

"Ah, yesss," he hissed, holding her down. "Doesn't this bring back wonderful memories?"

ZaiLeia said nothing. She couldn't. His strong hands were still tight around her throat.

"You and me, having it out with each other. But we used to do this the other way around, remember? It was 'fun now, fight later,' as I recall."

The grand councilwoman could barely hear his words. Everything was fading… Le'Kruune finally relaxed his grip on her neck and she gasped, sucking in large quantities of air to compensate for what he had been depriving her of for the last minute and a half. Blood flooded her head in a rush and she was violently dizzy all of a sudden. Somewhere above her Le'Kruune was making nasty little innuendos and snickering. She didn't comprehend any of it until she felt a clawed hand sneak furtively into forbidden regions of her bruised person and linger there. _I should have known_, she thought dimly, but she was too weak, in pain, and exhausted to resist his advances. Her head was still spinning as she felt him tear away at her uniform. She was certain she would have fallen out of the bed had Le'Kruune not been lying on top of her. But she had to save her strength; had to formulate a plan. She lay still and pretended to accept her fate, but if it took the very last drop of her strength to stop him, then so be it. She would not let him win. Not at any cost. 

Then it happened. The miracle to end all miracles at that moment. The door to the bedroom burst open and in came Mackayl, cannon raised. A blast of neon green, a gasp, and a groan, and Le'Kruune lay unconscious and bleeding profusely from the head. Mackayl threw down his weapon and ran to the bed, prying the limp body off of the woman pinned beneath. 

"Are you alright, your highness?" he asked breathlessly. She struggled to sit up and smiled weakly at him.

"Yes, yes, thank you," she said hoarsely, throwing her arms around him. Hesitant at first, he hugged her back. He looked at her again and blushed, then looked away. ZaiLeia looked down at herself to see several large and revealing tears in her clothing. She nearly blushed herself, but gave a weak laugh and said "To hell with it" instead.

"Well, we'd better get you out of here now, before he regains consciousness," Mackayl said. "I don't think he recognized me, but we're both still in danger either way. The guards outside already suspect me of something, and sooner or later they're gonna come in here to check on _him_." He nodded toward Le'Kruune, whose head wound had already healed due to his still semi-functional molecular modifications.

"He gave them orders to check on him now and then to make sure someone hasn't killed him. He's become very paranoid lately. Come on!" He took her by the hands and pulled her to her feet.

As soon as she was up, her knees buckled and she collapsed into him. The pain in her side had dulled considerably, but was far from gone. The wound was open, raw, and bleeding again. Mackayl saw it and paled. 

"You need medical attention. Right away. Can you walk?"

The grand councilwoman shook her head. "No, I - I don't think so." She cringed in pain and leaned heavily against her helper.

"Damn!" Mackayl swore under his breath. "This isn't getting any easier!" 

"Well, I'm terribly sorry!" ZaiLeia said sarcastically.

"Don't be," Mackayl answered, taking her seriously. "It's not _your_ fault. It's his." There was contempt in his voice as he regarded his fallen superior. "Well, come on then. If you can't walk, I'll carry you."

"But what about the guards? Don't you think they might be the least bit suspicious to see you carrying me rather than floating me out on a gurney or hover-chair?"

"I've no doubt they'll be suspicious," Mackayl replied. "But right now it'd be way too risky to try to send for a hover-chair. I'll just tell them that numbnutz over there had some fun with you and then decided to have the doctor patch you up so you'll survive for round two. They'll buy that, I'm sure. It coincides nicely with my being forced to carry you. Le'Kruune's messed up in the head. It doesn't have to make sense anymore, as long as they believe he ordered it."

"Well - alright, then…" ZaiLeia sighed weakly and allowed Mackayl to sweep her up off her feet. Securing her arms around his neck, she whispered "Now or never," and they made a break for it. 

Once outside the suite, Mackayl gave the guards his prefabricated explanation and they appeared to accept it. With their one major obstacle already hurdled, he walked as fast as possible down the corridor with the grand councilwoman in his arms. Tired and dizzy, she rested her head against his shoulder and yawned.

"Hey, don't fall asleep on me now," he teased.

"I won't," she promised. 

"Good, 'cuz I wouldn't want to have to -"

But she never found out what it was he didn't want to have to do. Before Mackayl could even finish his sentence, he was shot in the back by a plasma cannon. In that terrifying instant, time slowed to a trickle and ZaiLeia turned her head to see Le'Kruune and his two guards advancing on them with their cannons raised. Blinding flashes of neon green were followed by red-darkness as Mackayl's lifeless body crumpled to the ground on top of her. 


	41. A Ray of Hope, However Faint

Disclaimer: I do not own "Lilo & Stitch" or any of the characters therein.

CHAPTER FORTY:  
A RAY OF HOPE, HOWEVER FAINT

Trapped and terrified, ZaiLeia watched helplessly as Le'Kruune and his two men approached her. Pinned down by Mackayl's lifeless body, she trembled; one of the very few times in her life she had ever let her fear show. Grinning smugly, Le'Kruune kicked the body aside like a tin can and pointed his weapon in her face.

"I could end you right now, but I won't, and you wanna know why?" he hissed.

When she didn't respond, he continued. "Because I still love you, Zai."

This statement hit her ears like a physical assault. She glared up at him in disbelief. 

"_Love_ me?!" she demanded, but her breathing was shallow and labored, and her words came out in a rasp.

"Yes, Zai," Le'Kruune whispered back. "Even though you chose to screw around with this parasitical little bastard, I forgive you."

__

"What?!!" 

"But as long as he was alive, I knew I had no hope of winning you back. That's why I had to do it. You'll soon realize that it was for the best, and that stupid little son of a she-trog is where he belongs." He leaned toward her, lowering his voice. "Rotting. In hell."

Pain and rage darkened her features at these words. She propped herself up on one elbow and spat in his face. Le'Kruune's head flew back as though he had been slapped, and he cursed hideously in his native Kaizaxx as he wiped his face off and then back-handed one of the guards. He then turned and shouted a command to the other guard, and both men hurried down the corridor and out of sight. His attention diverted, ZaiLeia seized the opportunity to place as much distance as possible between herself and Le'Kruune. She rolled over onto her stomach and dragged herself toward Mackayl. Her heart wrenched painfully at the sight of the purplish blood pooling beneath him, even as her own blood made its dark trail across the stainless steel floor. Looking at her slain hero, she had forgotten herself entirely. The physical pain was nothing now compared to the emotional pain of seeing him like that.

"Mackayl…"

When she reached him, she laid her head down on his chest and sobbed. When the guards had gone, Le'Kruune turned back to ZaiLeia, and what he saw made his disfigured face darken with rage and disgust.

"Why, you filthy little _khaash'taga_!" he hissed, using the foulest word in the Kaizaxx and Turian languages to add insult to her injuries. The grand councilwoman was accustomed to being cursed and degraded - such a thing is inevitable in politics - but what Le'Kruune had just called her was beyond forgiveness. Under the jurisdictions of certain alien governments (most of which residing _outside_ of the Federation) using that particular word to describe someone was punishable by various forms of public torture. Never had she been called such a horrible thing until now, and she was still reeling from that verbal punch in the face when Le'Kruune stormed over to her and kicked her in the flank, further opening her wound. The grand councilwoman cringed in pain and held her arms up to shield herself from further assault, but Le'Kruune did not kick her again. Instead, he glared harshly at her for a moment, then returned her earlier sentiment by spitting on her. A large glob of saliva and phlegm splattered the side of her face. ZaiLeia shuddered, but did not move to wipe it away. She remained perfectly still as Le'Kruune knelt down beside her. She did not even look at him until he hooked a gnarled finger under her chin and forced her head up sharply so that they were eye-to-eye, his face little more than an inch from her own.

"I will leave you here to rot alongside of Mackayl, and only when the stench of your fetid flesh fills my ship will I be truly satisfied."

ZaiLeia said nothing in return. She couldn't. She was weak, afraid and in pain, and it was all she could do just to keep her composure. Tears pushed madly at the back of her eyes, but she would not let them escape. She would not give Le'Kruune the ultimate satisfaction of seeing her cry. For a moment, however, something in her stone-like façade faltered, and her own anguish was reflected back to her from Le'Kruune's ravaged face. For just a brief moment, something had passed between them: all that they had once meant to each other, and all that they had shared, was somehow still there, and they both saw it, and for one split second, Taisiya was looking back at both of them from each other's eyes. Terrified by this, and terrified by himself, Le'Kruune withdrew even further from sanity. He stood up slowly, his one good eye emptying of emotion as he turned and walked, shuffling at first and then faster, until he was sprinting down the corridor toward his suite, bounding away as though he were running for dear life. Just as he reached his suite - just as he entered it - just as the door came down behind him, the curtain of insanity also came down - and he was incarcerated once again as a prisoner in his own mind.

All alone now, the grand councilwoman finally let herself go, sobbing openly over the still-warm body beneath her, her head still resting on Mackayl's chest. A faint sound within caught her attention and she hushed, straining her ears for the impossible thud of a heartbeat. She heard it again and looked up. He was still alive, but barely. She leaned toward his face. He wasn't breathing. Without a moment's delay, she began mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on him. After more than a minute of this, Mackayl began to stir. Suddenly he was conscious and gasping to breathe on his own. ZaiLeia let out a huge sigh of relief as he looked up at her with bleary eyes. The corners of his mouth curled upward into a smile, and ZaiLeia returned it tenfold. He lifted a trembling hand toward her face, and she caught it in her own and held it affectionately against her cheek. Overcome with fatigue, she collapsed on the floor beside him, one arm draped comfortingly around her newfound friend. 

Words were not needed at that moment, for that one faint ray of hope had been rekindled, and they eagerly accepted its warmth, and embraced it, and by doing so they were embracing each other. With her last bit of strength, ZaiLeia pulled Mackayl closer. In the frigid atmosphere of the corridor, he melted into her, gratitude overwhelming him. Past, present and future meant nothing to them now, and the ugly reality surrounding them faded away as she continued to hold him. Absorbed in the moment, she leaned into him, and pressed her mouth to his for the second time that night, and for a completely different reason altogether.


	42. Break From Reality

Disclaimer: I do not own "Lilo & Stitch" or any of the characters therein. Except for Leera, Le'Kruune, and Mackayl, but you already know that. ^_~

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE:  
BREAK FROM REALITY 

"And once when Wendy was eight he put on my best dress and wore it to school for a day. Only he 'forgot' to tell me it was school picture day." 

Vay was entertaining Lilo and Leera with another embarrassing story about her son, who was currently having his wrist wounds redressed by his fiancée. Leera giggled as she wrapped his wrist in a strip of fabric torn from the quilt Lilo had brought with her from Le'Kruune's suite.

"Well, imagine my surprise when he came home that day with two dozen _lovely _photos of himself!"

"Do you still have any of those photos?" Leera asked. "Because I'd _love_ to see that!"

"I'm surprised Mom hasn't already shown it to you," Pleakley mumbled, "'cuz she sure as heck didn't waste the opportunity to show you all those OTHER photos!"

"Are you kidding?!" said Vay. "I'll GIVE you one! I'll also give you his sixth grade picture! That one's a scream compared to the other one!"

"Great," Pleakley mumbled, then paled as Vay drew a wallet out of nowhere and opened it up, revealing several incriminating photos of himself at varying ages, from birth to the previous year. Leera finished up with his bandages and took the wallet from Vay, laughing heartily as she held it up for Lilo to see, too. Lilo joined in the laughter while Pleakley blushed furiously, pretending to inspect his new dressings.

"You're such a card, Wendy!" Leera nudged him playfully. "But I hope you're not planning to dress like this for our wedding! One bridal gown is enough, don't you think?"

Pleakley grunted in reply, but did not look up from his wrists. 

"If you want to dress up, then that's fine. I just don't want you looking prettier than _me!_ Okay?"

This time he did look up. "Prettier than _you_? I don't think that's even remotely possible! There isn't a woman alive as beautiful as you," he told her, making _her_ blush. "Uhh, or man, for that matter," he added, then glanced at his mother. "Except for you, Momma."

Lilo cleared her throat loudly. Pleakley rolled his eye and added further, "and you, too, Lilo."

She grinned in acknowledgement, then cleared her throat again. Pleakley looked at her.

"What?"

"You forgot Nani!"

"Alright. And Nani, too."

"And Scrump! Don't forget Scrump!" Lilo added, suddenly remembering her doll. 

"I thought Scrump was a boy!"

This time Lilo blushed. "She used to be, until she had to have an operation. She used to have three legs, just like you, but Nani said the third leg had to go because it looked like something she didn't want to talk about."

"Oh." Pleakley blushed a little himself.

"I don't know why Nani got so upset about it. She even sent me to my room and wouldn't let me out until I fixed it. When I first made Scrump, she was supposed to be a _he_, and he was supposed to have a tail, but I wasn't good at sewing and it came out all crooked and funny-looking in the end. So then I decided he was going to have three legs and be some kinda mutant swamp monster who was laughed at by all the other swamp monsters because he wasn't as ugly and slimy as they were. I showed it to David, and he liked it, but Nani got all red in the face and told me it wasn't appropriate."

"Hmm. Well, I guess I can't blame her," said Pleakley. "As I understand, there's not a single creature native to Earth that's a tripod."

"Yeah, unless you count something with _four_ legs that lost one. What's wrong with having a third leg, anyway?" Lilo asked, looking at each alien in turn. The three Plorginarians glanced at each other and shrugged, though Pleakley was still blushing a little.

"Nothing at all," Vay answered her, smiling. "I think your sister was just worried about you playing with a boy, even if it was just a doll. Boys can be real brats, you know. Wendy was an exception, though. He was always so timid, and the boys in our neighborhood were rather obnoxious. I usually didn't let him play with them. The girls were just as bad. Always picking on him. Especially Leera." She smiled fondly at the younger woman.

"But you have three legs, too, and you're not boys! Are you?" Lilo asked, sounding slightly suspicious. "'Cuz if you are, you're a lot better at disguising yourselves than Pleakley is. You've got boobs and everything! Pleakley tried that once. He used one of Nani's bras and put two oranges in it. When Nani found out, she got mad and told him to go buy his own bra, but he's too embarrassed to go into the women's underwear section at the store."

Vay and Leera looked over at Pleakley, who blushed once again and shrugged. "Heh, just trying to fit in!"

"But you're not boys, I can tell," Lilo continued. "You're not wimpy and whiny like Pleakley."

Here Pleakley looked offended. "Hey, who're you calling wimpy?"

"_You_, silly!" Leera giggled, throwing her arms around him and then locking him in a full nelson. 

"Yeah!" Lilo shouted, pouncing on his legs and pinning them down, so that he was now completely immobile. 

"See? Wimpy-wimpy-wimpy!" she taunted him.

"Augh! Moooooommm, make 'em stop! They're killing me!"

"Yep! And whiny, too!" said Leera, holding him tight.

"Told ya!" Lilo grinned wickedly.

"Alright, you two. Play nice." Vay finally stepped in. "And save some Wendy for me!" She proceeded to tickle him, making him scream for mercy.

For a while, the four prisoners were happy. They joked and played with each other, and for a time they were able to forget about their situation. They forgot about the impenetrable walls of their cell, and the vicious, hostile creatures lurking outside. For just a few hours, they were home. And they could have stayed that way a while longer if one of the Kaizaxx guards hadn't opened their cell door at that moment and come charging in with his plasma cannon raised. Only then did the laughter and the warm feeling of contentment vanish, as dread, pain, and anger took their place.

The four prisoners sat stone still, gazing up in fear at the guard. For a moment they had thought that it was Mackayl, the young Kaizaxx man who had claimed a secret allegiance to their cause. But one look at the scarred, hardened face of this man told them that it was not. The man stood equally still, glaring critically at each of them in turn before making the following statement:

"His highness, Horsthar Eveth Xeyjii Le'Kruune, requests the immediate presence of one Leera Analilia, in his private suite."

All eyes turned to Leera, who paled considerably at the announcement. 

"Which one of you is Leera?" the guard demanded.

Before Leera could even open her mouth, Pleakley stepped forward. 

"I am," he stated firmly. Still dressed in his orange and purple muumuu and black wig, he easily passed as female in the eyes of most of the Kaizaxx, who usually refrained from consorting with what they believed to be inferior beings, and thus knew very little of the Plorginarian race.

"No, _I _am!" said Vay, shooting him a warning look. Before he could argue with her, Leera herself stepped forward and asserted her identity.

"No!" Pleakley shouted. "I'M Leera! Take me now!"

"No, I'M Leera," Vay growled threateningly. "And I'M going!"

"NO!" the real Leera shouted. She turned to the guard. "Don't listen to them! They're just trying to protect me!"

"No, I'm not!" Pleakley argued. "_Y-you're _trying to protect _me_! I'M Leera, not _you_!"

"Don't listen to either of them," Vay interrupted. "It's me he wants, not those two. That one's not even a female!" she pointed at Pleakley.

"I am _too_!" he insisted. 

"No, you're not!" Leera scolded. "You don't even have breasts!"

"Oh, sure, call attention to the fact that I'm not as voluptuously endowed as _you_ are!"

The guard looked him over curiously. "She's right, you know. You're far too flat-chested to be female."

"Just rub it in, why don't you!" Pleakley retorted, sounding offended.

Leera rolled her eye and stepped forward again. "Just forget him. I'm the real Leera, and I'm ready to go now."

"NOOO!!!" 

Pleakley grabbed her by the arm to stop her. 

"Dammit, Wendy, let go!"

"No! You can't do this! I won't let you! I won't let Le'Kruune hurt you again! I'd rather die!"

"And _I_ won't let either one of you get hurt," Vay said sternly. "I love you both, and you two have far more to live for than I do. That's why _I'm_ going!"

"No, Mom! You can't!"

"Don't you tell ME what I can or can't do! I'm your mother!"

"But -"

"SILENCE!" 

The guard's sudden outburst stilled the three prisoners immediately. Lilo, the fourth prisoner, had been silent the whole time, sitting on the bunk in the far corner, listening to the argument.

"Now, then, which one of you is the _real_ Leera?"

"_I _AM!" three voices rang out in unison.

"Who didn't see _that_ coming?" the guard murmured to himself. "Alright, _fine. _If this is how it's gonna be, I guess I'm going to have to take all three of you up to his highness's private suite. I'll let _him _decide which one of you he wants. Now get moving!" He waved his weapon threateningly, and they started out the door. 

"Wait!" Lilo shouted, jumping out of her corner and rushing over to Pleakley. "Don't leave me here by myself! Please, take me with you!"

The look Pleakley gave her just then was the most pained look she had ever seen him give. "No, Lilo. You have to stay here. For your own safety. I've put you into too much danger already. I won't be surprised if Nani kicks me out of the house for this."

Fighting back tears, Lilo hugged him tightly around the middle. "Nani would never do that. You're ohana, and ohana means nobody gets left behind, or forgotten."

Pleakley was fighting back tears himself as he held her close. "I'm so sorry, Lilo. But this time, someone's going to have to get left behind." 

To everyone's surprise (and even her own) Lilo leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. Stunned, Pleakley turned away quickly and headed out the door, just as a large tear streamed down his face and splattered on the front of his muumuu. He didn't even look back. Vay put a hand on his shoulder as they marched down the corridor. On his other side, Leera did the same, but removed it quickly so as not to call attention to herself. Too late. Pleakley glanced over at her and his hearts sank into his stomach. He forgot all about Lilo just then. Terror seized him suddenly and he wondered what Le'Kruune wanted with Leera, beyond what he feared he wanted. After what she had done to him a few days earlier, was it even possible for him to want to…? Pleakley shuddered, unwilling to even think about what he was still capable of, with or without a certain piece of his anatomy intact. 

Setting her eye on the hallway ahead, Leera resolved to be brave. Le'Kruune wanted to see her, and she wanted to see him. She had a bone to pick with him, and she looked forward to it. She wasn't finished with him yet. He had raped her and tortured her loved ones, and in return she had burned him, gouged his eye out and castrated him, but it wasn't enough to repay him for all he had done. It would never be enough.

* * * *

ALRIGHT!!! Two new chapters finally up and running! I cannot believe it has been so long since I last posted! And after I promised I wouldn't lag off like that again! SHAME ON ME!!! Okay, folks, I think I'm on a roll with this story again (at least I hope I am!), and I'm gonna get into the next chapter pretty quick here. PLEASE R&R!!! It really does help! Even flames will encourage me at this point! Of course, flames always encourage me because I love to piss off they who piss off _me_! Does that even make sense?! @_o Okay, don't make me beg for reviews!!!


	43. Blood on the Floor, Lust in His Eye

Disclaimer: I do not own "Lilo & Stitch" or any of the characters therein, except for Leera, Le'Kruune, Mackayl, and Vay (more or less).

A/N: Just an advance warning - these next two chapters might be a little scary. Some violence, of course, though not nearly as much as in previous chapters. Mostly scary because it touches on the subject of rape, though there will NOT be an actual occurrence of it. Just FYI, and don't bother to flame me, because YOU WERE WARNED. -_-

CHAPTER FORTY-TWO:  
BLOOD ON THE FLOOR, LUST IN HIS EYE

As they neared Le'Kruune's private suite, Pleakley's hearts gave a sickening jolt. He glanced at Leera out of the corner of his eye and marveled at her calm exterior. She almost looked serene, as though she had decided to accept whatever fate awaited her in the moments ahead. He wondered if it were only a façade, or if she really was as brave as she appeared. He wouldn't doubt it if she was. She had always possessed such strength and determination. Because of that he should have realized that Leera would never have taken the easy way out and commit suicide. It had been hard for him to believe it when he found her feigned suicide note, and he nearly went insane with denial before finally accepting it and forcing himself to move on with his life. Now that Leera was back, alive and well, Pleakley resolved to live up to his promise to her. If Le'Kruune wanted her, then he was going to have to go through Agent Wendy Pleakley to get her. 

Rounding the last corner, Pleakley's hearts jolted again at the scene that lay before him. In a pool of mingled blood lay two familiar bodies, motionless. The grand councilwoman and Mackayl lay facing each other, arms entwined, still as death. They lay in the middle of the corridor, and as the troupe approached them, they almost had to flatten themselves up against the wall to avoid stepping in their blood. Vay shuddered as she passed them.

"Oh, dear God…"

As if on cue, the grand councilwoman's eyes flew open and she looked up at her fellow prisoners. Pleakley gasped and jumped back, then sighed in relief to see that she was still alive.

"I'm not dead _yet_," she said quietly, in a matter-of-fact tone, as though someone had just asked her casually how she was doing. "And I don't plan to die anytime soon, so don't hold your breath! Mackayl, on the other hand…" she trailed off, lifting a hand up to stroke the side of his face. Mackayl didn't respond.

"He isn't doing so well. He's lost a lot of blood, as you can see, and if he doesn't get proper medical attention soon…" she trailed off again, then sighed despairingly.

"Is Le'Kruune just going to leave you here? Like _this_?" Vay asked.

The grand councilwoman did not reply. She didn't need to. It was pretty obvious that Le'Kruune would do such a thing, and think nothing of it. For a moment, Vay, Leera and Pleakley all stood looking down at the two injured aliens, then jumped at their escort's command to keep moving. As he passed them, the guard gave the grand councilwoman a very solemn look, then closed his eyes and bowed his head slightly as though to apologize. 

There were no guards standing sentry outside of Le'Kruune's suite, and this struck all three prisoners as more than a little odd. Their own guard stepped forward and pressed a button on the communicator by the door. At the garbled sound of Le'Kruune's voice, terror reawakened in Pleakley's hearts and he immediately grabbed Leera's hand, giving it a firm squeeze as if to say, "Don't worry. I promise I won't let him hurt you." Gently, Leera squeezed back, her palm already slick with sweat. Pleakley wasn't positive, but he thought he could feel her trembling. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye, but she stared straight ahead, unblinking, looking as determined as ever. After a moment, the door opened, and they were herded inside by their escort. Inside of the suite, it was cool and dim. Le'Kruune stepped out of the shadows and the three Plorginarians huddled close together in fear. He looked at each one of them, puzzled, then asked the guard why he had brought all three of them in. The guard explained, then offered to take the ones he didn't want back to their cell, but Le'Kruune declined. The guard left the suite alone, while all three prisoners remained. For a long moment he smiled pleasantly at them, looking each one up and down as though he were inspecting them. 

"What a lucky man I am!" he purred. "Alone in my room, with three voluptuous beauties." His eye lingered over Pleakley, and he frowned. "Well, make that _two_." He stepped toward them. They backed away.

"Now, then. My eyesight isn't quite what it used to be, so tell me: which one of you is Captain Analilia?"

"_I _AM!" the three shouted in unison, then glared angrily at each other.

Le'Kruune laughed delightedly. It was clear that he was in one of his more amiable moods. 

"My, my! Such enthusiasm!" he exclaimed. "I'm quite flattered to have three lovely ladies like yourselves vying for my honor."

"What honor?!" Leera demanded, her voice bitter with hate. "You mean the honor of being one of your victims?"

"Why, yes, I suppose you can say that," Le'Kruune chuckled, before lowering his voice to a seductive purr. "The lucky victim of my unbridled passion and desire."

Leera rolled her eye. "I should have figured. Only YOU could still be in the mood for that sort of thing after getting neutered."

Le'Kruune smirked at her, then nodded. "Of course. And who else could possibly know about that except for the ravishing Captain Analilia, who so skillfully performed the procedure?"

Leera folded her arms across her chest and glared up at him with a smug look on her face.

"Yes. You MUST be her." He moved toward her. "You're just the person I want to see. Now that I'm properly healed down there, perhaps we can pick up where we left off the other day."

Pleakley's hearts lurched at these words and he jumped in front of Leera, planting himself firmly between her and Le'Kruune.

"NO!!!" he roared. "I swear to God, if you lay so much as a finger on her, I will KILL you!!!"

Le'Kruune looked only mildly shocked by this outburst. A smile quickly replaced the look of shock and he snickered. Pleakley frowned at him.

"Oh, I'm sorry! You were serious, weren't you?"

"Dead serious," Pleakley growled.

Le'Kruune looked him over as though considering plowing right through him to get to Leera. Vay realized this and stepped in front of her son, ready to protect him. Leera struggled around them, but Pleakley jostled back to the front. Le'Kruune watched, amused, chuckling to himself before something in his head snapped (once again) and he pulled out his plasma cannon and aimed it point blank at Leera's face.

"YOU!!!" he roared, then let out a blood-curdling growl. "You filthy little _khaash'taga_! You will pay for what you've done!"

"NOOO!!!" screamed Pleakley, throwing his arms around her.

"BACK OFF!" Le'Kruune hissed, "or she gets it, right here." He jabbed the weapon at her face and she winced. Pleakley did as he was told and moved away from her, but not very far. Satisfied, Le'Kruune lunged forward and seized her by the neck, hoisting her up out of the others' reach. Leera flailed and struggled in his grasp, but her efforts were futile. Holding her up in front of him like a prize catch, he marched across the room, plasma cannon planted firmly against the side of her head. Leera tried to scream, but her windpipe was crushed. She could hardly breathe. Le'Kruune reached his bedroom door and punched one of the buttons on the panel next to it with the tip of his cannon. Before Vay and Pleakley could stop him, the door slid open and shut, and Le'Kruune disappeared inside his bedroom with his newest victim. Barely a second after the door had come down, Pleakley had thrown himself against it, screaming and sobbing as he pounded frantically against the cold titanium. Vay worked furiously at the panel, but could not get the door to open, either. It had been locked it from the inside. 


	44. A Nightmare Revisited

Disclaimer: I do not own "Lilo & Stitch" or any of the characters therein, with the exception of Vay, Leera, Le'Kruune and Mackayl.

A/N: Last chapter's warning carries over to this chapter as well. To reiterate, the contents of this chapter might be a little intense to some readers. Again, I warn you: attempted rape and violence lay ahead. Before you freak out, remember - emphasis on the word ATTEMPTED. This story may be rated 'R', but I have strict limits which I will not exceed, and describing the rape of a character, however fictional, is one of them. 

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE:  
A NIGHTMARE REVISITED

Le'Kruune strode over to his bed and flung Leera down upon it. She bounced once, then froze as she found herself staring down the barrel of his plasma cannon. In the gloom, his face was even more hideous than ever, every scar accentuated by shadows. He sneered, baring sharp, fierce, discolored teeth, and a low growl rose in his throat. For a long moment he stood perfectly still, aiming the cannon square at her face. On the bed, Leera sat equally still, not even daring to blink. After what felt like an eternity, Le'Kruune took a deep breath and calmed, shoving his weapon back into its holster. Slowly and stealthily, he walked around the bed until he was standing over her. He looked down at her, smiling in triumph. Leera stared back, her expression unreadable as he leaned in closer to her.

Hearts thudding in her chest, she glanced about frantically for some means of escape. There were none, and she knew it. This room was not unfamiliar to her. She had been in here once before, many years ago, on this very bed, under circumstances no one should have to endure. Now it was happening all over again; the nightmare she hoped never to relive. As Le'Kruune sat down on the bed beside her, she shuddered. He laid gentle claws on her arm, and she tensed at his touch. She did not look at him. Instead, she closed her eye, fighting back tears as Le'Kruune laid her down and slid a calloused hand up her skirt. She trembled violently for a second, then lay perfectly still.

Satisfied at her surrender, he proceeded, pushing her skirt up to her hips until she was conveniently exposed. When he finally removed his hands, she opened her eye a crack to watch him undo his belt. If she could just get a hold of that plasma cannon, she could incapacitate him just long enough to make an escape. No. Not escape. She wanted to kill him first, _then_ make her escape. Yeah, that's it. A perfect plan, or at least, not a bad one for being thought up at the spur of the moment. 

She was so absorbed in her plan that she was caught off guard when Le'Kruune started unbuttoning her top. She fought the urge to slap his hands away, reminding herself that it was all in the interest of carrying out her plan. Very reluctantly, she allowed him to open her shirt and, even more reluctantly, allowed him to fondle her. _Concentrate on your plan, _she told herself, wincing as his icy claws danced over the delicate skin of her breasts. _When the moment is right, grab the cannon and KILL the bastard! _But the plan was ruined as Le'Kruune removed his belt, plasma cannon and all, and tossed it across the bed. It landed on the edge and then slipped off onto the floor, where Leera had no means of reaching it. _Dammit!_ she fumed, but terror quickly overrode her frustration as Le'Kruune loomed over her.

"NO!" she screamed, jumping up. Le'Kruune shoved her back down. She swung her fists at him and he caught them, holding them both in one hand as he pinned her arms up over her head. She tried to kick him, but he immobilized two of her legs with one of his own, and her third leg flailed uselessly, with nothing vital to make contact with. Now truly terrified, Leera began to sob hysterically as she begged him not to do what he had done to her once before. Impervious to her pleas, Le'Kruune pressed himself against her, further hindering her mobility. One hand still pinning her arms down, his other hand seized the hem of her skirt and yanked it back up. She heard the fabric tear and sobbed loudly. He then grabbed her free leg and held it tight, his claws digging into her flesh. With one knee he parted her other two legs, then positioned himself between them, ready to violate her.

At that very moment, just as Le'Kruune was about to claim his victory, the miracle to end all miracles came bursting through the door with the blinding force of a plasma blast, followed by the furious cursing of Vay and Wendy Pleakley. Before either assailant or victim could comprehend what was happening, Le'Kruune was blasted multiple times in the head and back and sent crashing to the floor, with an enraged Wendy in hot pursuit. As soon as he was upon him, he began beating him unmercifully, giving it his all in retribution for what he had done to Leera. A second later Vay was upon him as well, beating him around the head with a drained plasma cannon. Leera stared in utter disbelief as both mother and son ravaged Le'Kruune like vicious, bloodthirsty beasts. 

Once they were satisfied that he was dead, they abandoned his broken and bloodied body and turned immediately toward Leera, who was sitting up on the bed and trembling. Lightning-fast, Wendy reached her first, smothering her in a tight embrace as Vay sat down on her other side, her arms around them both. Leera sobbed loudly, tears of joy and relief streaming down her face as Wendy did the same, burying his face in her long, golden hair, until they were both drenched in each other's tears.

* * * *


	45. Aftermath

Disclaimer: I do not own "Lilo & Stitch" or any of the characters therein, except, of course, for Vay, Leera, Le'Kruune and Mackayl.

CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR:  
AFTERMATH

"Yes, Wendy, I'm _fine_. Really, I'm okay," Leera assured him for the fifth or sixth time in less than a minute. But Pleakley was not to be so easily convinced. What he had seen in that split second before his mother had shot Le'Kruune had been enough to make him snap and go as lolo as Le'Kruune himself. Several minutes had already passed since they had taken him down, and Pleakley hadn't so much as loosened his hold on his beloved Leera. Not that Leera minded. She was safe now, and after such a horrifying ordeal, she was grateful to return to the blissful warmth and security of her lover's arms.

"Wouldja mind letting go of me for a moment?" she asked him finally. "I've got an itch to scratch."

"Oh, no!" Pleakley replied. "I'm never letting go of you again! Not even for a second! Just tell me where it itches, and I'll scratch it for you."

Leera smirked at his suggestion. "I'd rather scratch it myself, if you don't mind."

_"Unh-unh!" _Pleakley said stubbornly. "Way too risky! Look what happened the last time I let go of you!"

"Okay, Wendy, now you're being ridiculous. I'm just going to scratch my patooki, then I'll be right back in your arms."

"Still too risky," Pleakley mumbled, nuzzling his face in her hair and kissing her neck.

Leera sighed exasperatedly. "_Really_! What could possibly happen between here and my patooki?"

"A lot!" he exclaimed, and kissed her again.

"She's right, you know," Vay told him, sitting on the bed behind Leera. "You're gonna hafta let go sooner or later."

"NO!" Pleakley shouted, sounding like a selfish child. Vay smiled and shook her head, then stood up and laid a hand on Leera's shoulder.

"Well, I'll just let you two sort this out on your own." She started toward the door.

"Wait!" Pleakley called out. "Where're you going?"

"To check on the grand councilwoman. See if I can help her. Don't worry, I'll be back in a flash."

"Don't forget to take a plasma cannon with you!" Leera said. "Le'Kruune's is still loaded and in his belt. Take it. You never know if you might need it."

"Good idea!" Vay found the belt on the floor and retrieved the weapon from it before heading out the door.

"Oh, and bring back a crowbar!" 

"What for?" 

"To pry your son off of me, of course!"

Vay laughed on her way out the door.

"So, where'd you get that other plasma cannon?" Leera asked Pleakley when she was gone. "The one you shot Le'Kruune with?"

"Oh, Mom found it out there," he replied, indicating the outer chamber of the suite. "She remembered that he used to conceal weapons in certain places, all over the ship, and she also happened to remember that there was a secret stash inside of a wall panel hidden behind a tapestry! Talk about luck, eh?"

Leera grunted in agreement. 

"Of course, it wasn't easy finding the right panel behind all those tapestries. And then getting the panel open! By the time we got the cannon, I thought it would be too late to stop him from…" he trailed off, and made a small choking noise. Leera patted his back. 

"But it wasn't," she told him, pulling away from him finally to look him in the eye. "You got here just in time, and you have no idea how grateful I am." She leaned forward again to brush his lips with her own. "My hero."

Pleakley blushed. "Well, actually, _Mom's_ the one who did the shooting. I've never been good at handling firearms."

"You're still my hero," Leera whispered, smiling sweetly at him. Pleakley smiled back, still blushing, then glanced downward and blushed even deeper. He cleared his throat and mumbled something that Leera didn't quite catch. Glancing downward herself, she realized that her shirt was still open. She grinned at her ever-blushing fiancé and started to button it up.

"I thought you said he didn't hurt you," he said, sound a little suspicious as he watched her. He shot a furtive glance at her chest before looking her in the eye.

"He didn't," she assured him. "But he would have if you hadn't stopped him when you did."

"Then why is your shirt open?" he demanded, fear and anger evident in his voice. "And what are those marks?" 

Hesitant at first, he reached out a hand and brushed gentle fingertips over one of her breasts, burning bright with embarrassment as he traced the marks in question. Not the least bit self-conscious, Leera relaxed under his touch, which was a very welcome change after the way she had been touched only minutes before.

"H-he _did_ hurt you, didn't he?" Pleakley whispered, his voice sounding tiny and distant as he looked up at her.

"It's just a scratch," she told him, waving it off. "You know how sharp those claws of his are. It doesn't take much to leave a mark like that."

She continued to button up her shirt, but had to stop halfway because there were tears where Le'Kruune's eager claws had caught on the fabric in their haste to get it open. This left her still slightly exposed. Pleakley noticed this, and his anger grew.

"He touched you."

It wasn't a question. It was a statement. A fact. And he knew it. Realizing it, he cursed under his breath. 

"It's no big deal," Leera reassured him, trying to sound bored with the whole conversation. He stared at her in shock. 

"No big deal?! How can you say that? H-he may not have raped you, but he still violated you! So yes, it _is_ a big deal!" he argued, loud and clearly upset. "I promised I wouldn't it happen, but it _did_! That means I failed, and you still got hurt, even if it wasn't that bad."

"Oh, Wendy…" Leera sighed. She reached a hand out to touch his face, but he turned away as if in shame. He spotted Le'Kruune's body out of the corner of his eye and frowned. Rage swept over him, and he growled.

"I almost wish he was still alive, just so I could _kill _him again!"

He got up off the bed and kicked the corpse in the side a couple of times, then hawked up a nice, ripe loogie and spat on it. Leera smirked at him as he returned to her arms.

"Well, now that you've got that out of your system, why don't we go out and -" her next words were cut off by the sound of her own scream as Le'Kruune, gory and disfigured, and still very much alive, rose up off the floor and lunged at them both.


	46. The Beginning of the End

CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE:  
THE BEGINNING OF THE END

Pleakley echoed Leera's scream as Le'Kruune descended on them. Together they jumped off the bed, narrowly avoiding their captor's teeth and claws. They tumbled across the floor and Le'Kruune was on them in an instant. Pleakley threw himself on top of Leera to shield her from the attack. Le'Kruune seized hold of him and tore at him viciously. His wounds only half-healed, his strength was diminished and that was the only reason Pleakley stood a fighting chance against him. Even at that, Pleakley was no match for the deranged monster striving to kill him. Leera pulled herself out from under him and seized the empty plasma cannon laying on the floor nearby. She struck Le'Kruune repeatedly in the head, but he was impervious to the blows. Giving up, she threw the weapon aside and then flung herself upon Pleakley's assailant. Le'Kruune finally responded, falling backwards over Leera and then rolling over until he was straddling her. 

_"NOOOOOO!!!" _Pleakley screamed, pulling himself up and pouncing on Le'Kruune. With every last bit of his strength, and a surging rush of adrenaline, he tore Le'Kruune off of Leera and chucked him aside like a piece of trash. Rage overcame him, and he threw himself onto Le'Kruune again, beating him down with trembling arms. Leera sat up shakily, covered in scratches and bleeding from some of them, but ready again to throw herself into the fight.

"NO!" Pleakley shouted at her as she approached. "RUNNN!!!"

Leera just stood there, eye wide with terror. "No, Wendy, I can't -!"

"Dammit, Leera, run! NOW!!!"

Hearts threatening to explode in her chest, she took one long look at him - covered in Le'Kruune's blood and his own, his eye pleading with her - and ran.

Outside in the corridor, the scene had changed drastically since she had last been there. About a dozen Kaizaxx soldiers stood in the center of the floor, surrounding Vay and the grand councilwoman. The one called Mackayl lay a short distance away, outside the circle, conscious now but still very weak as a physician bent over him. At least a dozen more soldiers stood in an even larger circle, surrounding all the others, their weapons raised. They appeared to be arguing heatedly with the smaller troop that was surrounding Vay and the councilwoman. Their weapons were raised also, but were not pointed at the two prisoners. Instead, they were aimed at the soldiers in the outer circle. The thud of hooves on the stainless steel floor signaled the approach of even more Kaizaxx soldiers. Sure enough, at least a dozen more heavily armed men came charging around a corner, only to stop short at the perplexity of the scene before them. 

Terrified, Leera also skidded to a halt, unable to comprehend what she was seeing. Just then, however, several Kaizaxx looked over at her, their faces showing a wide range of expressions, from anger and fear to shock and relief. Three or four of them started toward her simultaneously. Leera froze, too petrified suddenly to even take a step backward in retreat. One of the soldiers advancing on her turned to the others and growled out a threat. They took the hint and stayed back. Leera's blood ran cold as the man loomed over her. To her surprise, he lowered his weapon. To her even greater surprise, he bent down and said in a calm voice, "Is he dead?"

Shocked, Leera stared at him a moment before finding her voice.

"N-no. _What?! _I mean - he's got Wendy! Le'Kruune! H-he's gonna kill him!" she started sobbing hysterically, trying to explain the situation in Le'Kruune's suite, while still shocked and terrified of the situation she was now facing. Yet again to her surprise, the man laid a hand on her shoulder as if to calm her before darting off in the direction of Le'Kruune's suite. The other three soldiers followed him. There was a roar of protests from several other soldiers, and the arguments between them all intensified. Some of them began fighting. Utterly dazed, Leera jumped when she felt something touch her arm. She whirled around to see another Kaizaxx man, who gently but firmly steered her over to Vay and ZaiLeia. Seeing them, she snapped out of her stupor and rushed over to Vay, throwing herself into the older woman's arms and sobbing.

"He's not dead! He's alive! And Wendy…" she choked, unable to finish. Vay hugged her tightly, and she could feel her shudder. "I didn't want to leave him," she whimpered, "but he told me to!"

"It's okay," Vay tried to assure her, but her voice cracked, and they both knew it wasn't true. 

The proceeding events were little more than a blur to all who were involved, though the memory of that fateful day would live in infamy in each of their minds and hearts. In the blink of an eye, the corridor went dark, only to be relit with a flashing red light accompanied by a siren. An automated voice was making an announcement over the intercom, but the words were drowned out in the uproar that followed. Time slowed to a trickle and a roaring silence descended on the corridor as blasts of neon green erupted from all angles. In slow motion Vay pushed Leera to the floor as sizzling plasma globs inched past them. The inner circle of soldiers surrounding the prisoners swooned as those in the outer circle plunged into them in a bloody free-for-all. The two Plorginarians were tripped over and nearly trampled by those who were trying to protect them. One soldier dove down out of the throng and scooped them both up. Two other soldiers followed, tackling him and trying to snatch the two women out of his arms. Leera and Vay both managed to squirm away from them, but were recaptured in an instant by two more soldiers. A third and fourth soldier dragged the councilwoman to her feet and pulled her along forcefully as they fled the corridor-turned-battlefield. 

Uncertain who was friend or foe, Leera struggled with her would-be rescuer, demanding, among other things, to know what the hell was happening. The soldier gave an incoherent reply, breathless as he bounded at top speed down the corridor. Vay and her captor/rescuer followed closely, while ZaiLeia brought up the rear, staggering along with the aid of her two escorts. Leera watched in fear as half a dozen Kaizaxx men came charging up behind them, some with their weapons raised. To her surprise, they did not fire. A minute later, the party reached a dark, deserted section of the ship and turned a corner into a much narrower hallway. This they followed for about half a minute until they came to a small docking bay. 

By the look of it, it hadn't been used in years, if it had ever been used at all. Leera seemed puzzled, but Vay recognized it to be an emergency escape bay. A dozen escape pods were lined up and ready to go. The pods were small and could hold no more than two grown Kaizaxx at a time. Without warning, Vay and Leera were both shoved into a single pod, while the grand councilwoman was placed in the next one. Several soldiers jumped into the other pods and blasted off without a second's hesitation. Frightened, Leera clung to Vay, demanding again to know what was happening.

"Someone's tripped the ship's self-destruction mechanism," Vay explained. "This ship's gonna blow in about five minutes."

Leera's eye nearly popped out of her head in horror. "_What?! _But how?"

"All I know is, it's in Le'Kruune's suite. Someone in there must have set it off."

"But that means…"

"Oh my God…"

"WENDY!!!" the two women screamed in unison, jumping out of their escape pod and running back to the entrance of the docking bay. From out of nowhere came an enraged roar as Le'Kruune appeared via a shortcut route from his suite. He was nude and gory from head to toe, and barely recognizable. In his right hand he clutched a small limp body - Pleakley - his claws clenched tightly around his throat. The orange and purple muumuu hung in shreds from his bloodied form, and he did not move. Le'Kruune charged into the docking bay, dragging the little alien along behind him. Fear fled them just then as Vay and Leera both ran to meet the monster halfway. 

* * * * *


	47. Armageddon

CHAPTER FORTY-SIX:  
ARMAGEDDON

Pleakley struggled fervently against Le'Kruune, pinning him down with all the strength he could muster, until long after Leera had fled from the room. Mutilated beyond recognition, Le'Kruune had become a primitive beast, bloodlust his driving force as he strove to satisfy his hunger for vengeance. There wasn't a drop of reasoning left in his ravaged body, not even to allow him to formulate a single coherent word. Roars and growls were his language as he fought to free himself from Pleakley's rather impressive hold. Between his injuries and Pleakley's determination, it seemed that the Fates were in favor of the little one-eyed one, at least for the time being. Rage overcame fear as he brought the once mighty Kaizaxx leader to his knees. Vicious jaws snapped at his face, but for once he was not fazed by them. Giving it his all, Pleakley beat Le'Kruune unmercifully, tearing at him with such horrific brutality as to put Le'Kruune himself to shame. Without reservation he returned to him all the pain he had caused; his own pain, his mother's pain, and above all, Leera's pain.

Detailed descriptions of what he had done to her fueled his fury, and that in turn fueled his passion to make Le'Kruune suffer for his sins. Scenes from her long-ago nightmare flared in his mind as though he were remembering them himself: a young woman's agonized screams… her heart-wrenching sobs as she begged for mercy… screams intensified as flesh tore and blood flowed freely… screams silenced by a blow to the mouth… tears flowing like blood; blood flowing like tears…

Nothing in the universe mattered at that moment except making the monster pay for her pain. Pleakley forgot everything around him as a consequence, so naturally he did not hear the four or five armed guards come barging into the room behind him. Before he realized what was happening, one of the guards ripped him away from Le'Kruune and flung him aside before returning to help his leader up. Completely out of his head, Le'Kruune snapped viciously at the guard, and the man screamed in pain. When he pulled away, Pleakley was shocked to see that half his hand had been bitten off. The man continued to scream, half in pain, half in horror at the sight of it, while the other guards went ballistic trying to either kill Le'Kruune or defend him. Out of nowhere, one of them turned and blasted the poor man in the head, silencing his screams. This caused an uproar from the other guards, and then one of them blasted _him. _And the fight was on.

In the meantime, Le'Kruune had gathered himself up and dragged himself across the room toward Pleakley. Terror returned full-scale as the smaller alien struggled to his feet to avoid another confrontation. Sudden weakness overwhelmed him, and his legs trembled under his weight before collapsing back onto the floor. But to his surprise, Le'Kruune did not attack him. Instead, he reached the control consul at his desk and clawed at it until a small panel opened up and a large red button was exposed. Without a second's hesitation he pressed it, and when he did, all hell broke loose.

When the alarm sounded, Pleakley's hearts sank into his stomach. He didn't know what to do, and he had no time to figure it out because Le'Kruune was descending on him again. His first instinct was to play dead, and that's what he did. It seemed to work, because Le'Kruune did not commence to ripping him to shreds like he was fully expecting him to do. Picking Pleakley up by the neck, Le'Kruune gave him a thorough shake, then turned and strolled rather peacefully out through a secret exit hidden behind a wall panel. The guards had all but finished each other off before the last one standing realized that the ship's self-destruction mechanism had been tripped, and that his leader was gone.

* * * * *

Pleakley had no idea where Le'Kruune was taking him, but he didn't so much as flinch as he was dragged across the cold titanium floor toward the emergency escape bay. His grip around his neck was so tight he could barely breathe, but he remained calm and still, waiting for some golden opportunity to make his escape and find his way back to his mother and Leera. He encountered a somewhat pleasant surprise when the door to the bay opened up and he saw them there, alive and unharmed. But what Vay and Leera saw was the opposite of pleasant, and they did not waste time in attacking Le'Kruune. Pleakley felt himself dropped to the floor as the two women knocked his captor into the nearest wall. The few remaining soldiers that had not fled in the escape pods raised their weapons and prepared to fire at Le'Kruune. One of them shouted at the others, and they refrained. Clearly they did not wish to harm the women. Pleakley jumped up and threw himself into the throng, and was quickly joined by a handful of soldiers. The ensuing brawl consisted of three furious Plorginarians mauling Le'Kruune while three Kaizaxx men struggled to pry them away for their own safety, while a fourth Kaizaxx man tried to work in some brutality on his fallen leader. The three abstaining soldiers stood poised with their plasma cannons, ready to finish him off. 

The grand councilwoman pulled herself out of her escape pod and staggered over to join the fight, but one of the soldiers held her back, insisting that she return to her pod immediately and be ready to eject before the ship exploded. According to him, it was timed at ten minutes from activation to detonation, and half that time had already been wasted in the brawl. 

"Well, then, can't you ask them to speed things up so that we can all leave here in one piece and not in fifty _billion_?" she said loudly and impatiently. The man considered this for only a brief second before plunging into the scuffle.

Adrenaline rushed to his aid once again as Pleakley fell back into battle in order to protect his loved ones. Not that Vay and Leera needed any rescuing. They would have had Le'Kruune whipped if it hadn't been for the joint efforts of the Kaizaxx soldiers prodding and prying at them from all angles in frantic attempts to help them finish him off properly. Throwing himself into that scrap was like throwing himself into a thresher: poor Pleakley was flipped, flung, thumped, bumped, bit, biffed, pinched, punched, whacked, scratched, scuffed, nicked and kicked. 

From somewhere far away he heard a child's voice… a little girl's screams as a small horde of soldiers flooded the bay, one of them bearing a frightened Lilo in his arms. Breathless and hobbling, Mackayl followed not far behind, but Pleakley saw none of this as a sudden blow to the head rendered him nearly unconscious. Next thing he knew, he felt himself being carried. Someone had picked him up off the floor and was shoving him into an escape pod. Vaguely he heard Lilo wailing at him to wake up. He felt her pudgy arms encircling him, then slender arms in contrast as the grand councilwoman held him also. 

His dulled mind did not register what was happening in those fateful final moments aboard the Kaizaxx ship. He only understood that he was sharing a cramped space with two individuals with whom he was somewhat acquainted; that some women nearby were screaming and that he wished they'd shut up because he had a splitting headache; and that everyone around him needed to take a chill pill because they were all acting like it was Armageddon or something. The very last thing he was aware of before he blacked out completely was the blinding light behind his eyelid, followed by absolute darkness; the deafening roar of something large going kaboom, and then the deafening roar of silence.

* * * * *


	48. Nobody Gets Left Behind

CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN:  
NOBODY GETS LEFT BEHIND…

Cold white moonlight crept silently across linen sheets, staining them with an eerie, bluish glow as it proceeded upward toward a single bloodshot eye, still open at this ungodly hour of the night. A steady breeze tinged with winter came in through the open window, causing Pleakley to shiver. Pulling the bed sheets up further over his broken body, he debated briefly over whether or not he should call someone in to close the window for him. After a moment he decided against it, knowing full well that it was he who had insisted on leaving the window open all night in the first place, and that it would be unfair to wake up Jumba or Nani just because he was freezing now like they had told him he would be.

A second thought came to mind, further pushing the desire to wake anyone up out of his head. He was cold, yes, and he was certain he would come down with pneumonia by morning, but then he wondered suddenly why he should even care. What was pneumonia compared to the tremendous pain he had already had to endure, both physically and emotionally?

There he lay, in a human hospital bed, covered with bruises, burns and abrasions, suffering from blood loss and various stages of mental and emotional instability. Surely he was doomed to die of these wounds anyway; either doomed to die or doomed to survive in the living hell he had succumbed to over the past month. So what was a little pneumonia on top of it all? Just another drop of tainted blood in his ocean, and maybe, God willing, a quicker release as well.

In his delusion, he smiled, accepting the option of death. He breathed deep the icy air, letting it expand his aching lungs almost to their bursting point. He coughed, feeling a cold coming on. A moment later he heard a faint creaking sound, followed by padded footsteps on the linoleum floor. He quickly closed his eye, pretending to sleep so that he would not have to talk to whomever had entered the room. The footsteps were light and quick, so he knew it had to be a human, and not the thick-footed Jumba or the scampering Stitch.

The footsteps paused at the foot of the bed, and the soft, feminine sigh that followed told him that it was Nani. She made a second noise, one of her typical grunts of annoyance that made him cringe slightly. Still pretending to be asleep, Pleakley listened as she stepped over to the window and closed it, shutting the curtains as well. He heard Nani muttering to herself, something in her native Hawaiian, before stepping back toward the bed. He could sense her leaning over him, and he tried not to cringe visibly when he felt her body heat radiating toward his face. Gentle hands laid a warm cotton blanket over his trembling body before tucking him in with the utmost care. A lock of her long black hair brushed against his cheek, and he had to suppress the urge to push it away.

Next thing he knew, he felt a cool hand on his forehead, obviously checking him for fever. He had expected that. What he didn't expect was for her to lean down and kiss him tenderly on the cheek, then whisper something that would haunt him for the rest of the night: "You are ohana now, Pleakley, no matter what anyone else says. We'll always love you, too, no matter what. Ohana. Family. Forever."

Family. Right. What did it matter now? This makeshift, mixed-up family on Earth could never replace the family he had lost. No. Never. They were gone. Lost. Forever. _And it's all because of me!_ Pleakley thought, shuddering violently as a fresh wave of tears broke free and streamed down his cheeks. _Why? God, why?!! How could I have let this happen? Mom… Leera…dead…NOOO!!! _Pleakley twisted and turned under the covers in a fit of fevered half-sleep as disembodied voices echoed in his head, calling to him out of that fateful moment before detonation.

_They're gone. Dead. Gone. All my fault. No. Mom! Leera! Dead. NO!!! Gone. Lost. Forever. Dead. All my fault… all my fault…_

Pleakley jolted awake, covered in a cold sweat and shaking. Ever since his escape from the Kaizaxx a week ago, his sleep had been plagued with unspeakable nightmares; nightmares of his mother and his love perishing before his eyes in countless agonizing ways while he could only watch, helpless. He sat bolt upright in bed, hearts wrenching painfully. _I left them… I left them behind…_The mere thought of this was enough to make him gag. He felt sick, sicker than he had ever been in his life. Thinking hurt him. He couldn't stand it. He didn't want to think anymore. He just couldn't stand it. The pain was unbearable. They were gone. Vay and Leera were gone, and he could not live without them. It was as if someone had removed both his hearts. Life was pointless now. He was dead to the world, and the world was dead to him. Life was worthless. It wasn't even worth taking from himself. As much as Pleakley desired Death to find him that night, he could not bring himself to meet Death halfway. Exhaustion overtook him and he collapsed once again into a troubled sleep.

Yeah, I know it's been a long time._ Too _long. I won't bother with the petty excuses, though. It's time I sat my ars back down and wrap up this fic. In case you can't tell, we ARE nearing the end here. And yeah, I know this chap is just a déjà vu reiteration of the prologue. Call me lazy, but can you think of a better (and easier) way to bring the story full-circle? Don't worry. I'm on a roll now with the remaining chapters, so you can expect this fic to be finished by the end of the month. Please review! Thanx!


	49. Or Forgotten

CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT:  
…OR FORGOTTEN

The trip home to Kauai seemed to take a lot longer than the trip to California had taken. The solemn silence of the little ohana spoke volumes, and it was this silence that helped make the trip home bearable to Pleakley. After a week in the hospital he had been released, and it was time to go home. When he first walked out of the hospital, leaning heavily on Nani's arm, and climbed without a word into the backseat of Cobra's Ferrari, staring straight ahead unblinking, it was unanimously agreed on that he should be left alone. Pleakley was grateful for that. If anyone had so much as asked him the time of day, he wasn't sure he would even be able to respond.

Pleakley fell asleep twice on the Greyhound bus heading down to Los Angeles. After waking up the second time, he found himself alone on the bus. The bus made at least half a dozen scheduled stops along the way to L.A., each for no less than fifteen minutes at a time. He looked out of one of the tinted windows to see Lilo and Stitch playing Frisbee in a small park near a restaurant. Nani and Jumba were nearby, sitting at a picnic table and talking over a half-eaten meal. It was late in the afternoon, nearly sunset. In another two hours, they would reach the airport, and then in just a few _more_ hours, they would be on a plane home to Kauai.

Home. With family. Pleakley shivered a little, half from the now-foreign thought and half from the chill winter air that wafted in through the open bus door. He fumbled through the carry-on bags until he found one of Jumba's massive lab coats and put it on. On his puny, matchstick frame, it was like wearing a tent, a coarse, itchy tent that smelled of sweat, smoke, sulfur and God-knows-what-else. He chucked it off and rummaged through another bag until he found one of Nani's sweaters. It was lavender, and smelled of lilac. He slipped it on, pleased by its scent and its silky feel. Pulling it over his head, the hair on his wig became ruffled, so he went into the tiny lavatory at the back of the bus to tidy up.

Looking at himself in the little mirror, he saw a stranger staring back. A pale, one-eyed stranger wearing his face and Nani's sweater, a black wig on his head and pink lipstick on his lips. The single large eye was glassy-looking and bloodshot, a dark shadow underneath it. And somewhere behind that eye was the mind of a man who had nothing more to lose.

_Guh! You cannot possibly go out looking like THAT!_ a voice scolded him, and he reached into his little handbag for some rouge. _I'm just stepping out for a minute,_ another voice argued back. _And I'm only going to see my ohana. It won't bother them if I look like hell. That's how I've looked for the past week, anyway. _He finished with the rouge and started to apply a darker shade of lipstick. _Whoa, easy on the lipstick there! _the first voice scolded him. _What are you, a hooker?_ Pleakley scoffed at that remark and took out some mascara. _So what's wrong with wanting to look pretty?_ he asked himself. _Nothing at all,_ the second voice replied. _But tell me, who are you trying to impress?_

"Nobody!" Pleakley shouted out loud, surprising himself. He looked at the finished product in the mirror and tried to smile. _Then what are you trying to hide?_ demanded the first voice. _Nothing,_ was his weak reply. _Yeah right. The reason most people try so hard to be pretty on the outside is to mask the ugliness that is on the inside. And you are hideous beyond forgiveness._

"No I'm NOT!" Pleakley yelled, pounding his fist against the mirror. Being of the reflective metal variety, it did not shatter, though his hand smarted a little from the blow. When he looked again at his reflection, he winced at the distortion caused by anonymous etchings in the metal, and by the warping of the metal itself. That mirror could make even the most beautiful face wretched, but Pleakley knew in his hearts that the mirror did not lie to him. The ugliness within him was enough to make him vomit, had there been anything in his stomach to throw up. The last meal he had eaten was hospital food the night before, and despite feeling ill now, he slapped himself mentally for listening to those foolish voices in his head before exiting the bus to join his ohana for dinner.

Relieved was an understatement for how they all felt when they finally arrived home the next day. Pleakley was not allowed to lift a finger upon entering the house. Jumba, Nani, Lilo and Stitch saw to everything; everything from his laundry to breakfast in bed, though the latter was not handled by Stitch for very long since Pleakley's breakfasts had a habit of 'vanishing' on the way to his bed. Pleakley, grateful as he was, insisted on falling back to his regular routine of household chores, claiming it was 'therapeutic' for him and that it would help get his mind off 'certain things.' A few days after their return home the ohana relented, and Pleakley found solace in vacuuming and ironing once again. By the end of their first week home, everything appeared to have gone back to normal. Pleakley was serene, almost cheerful now, and no matter how suspicious this seemed, no one dared breathe a word about the Kaizaxx or his mother or Leera in his presence. Pleakley acting like everything was okay was bad enough. Bringing up what had happened and then watching him snap was not even an option. For two whole weeks the entire ohana treaded on eggshells around Pleakley, until the day the grand councilwoman arrived on their doorstep.

Pleakley was napping in the hammock out back when she arrived. Nani was about to go call him inside when ZaiLeia told her not to bother. Instead, the grand councilwoman went out into the backyard by herself to speak to Pleakley. When he awoke to see her standing over him, he was startled at first. He hadn't seen her since their escape from the Kaizaxx three weeks earlier. She'd looked like hell then, so he was quite surprised to see how well she looked now.

"What are you doing here?" he asked her, his words sounding a little harsh and suspicious, although he hadn't meant them to. He hadn't even meant to say what he'd just said. It so surprised him to see her that the mere sight of her bombarded him with sudden painful recollections of that fateful night aboard the Kaizaxx ship. There may have been a slight hint of anger in his voice as well; anger, perhaps, for the fact that SHE had escaped with her life aboard the same escape pod as he had, while both his mother and the love of his life had been doomed to die in a fiery explosion in space.

"Agent Wendy Pleakley, I've come to inform you that you have been awarded the Supernova. Furthermore, you are being promoted to Federal Agent, First Class."

This news struck him like a blow to the stomach. "M-me? You mean… ME?!!" He glanced around disbelieving. "Are you sure you have the right person?"

ZaiLeia nodded.

"But, but - I'm ME! Wendy! I'm a nobody!"

"You mean a nobody who has just been awarded the Galactic Federation's highest honor," she corrected him, with a slight smile.

"For what?" Pleakley demanded incredulously. "I haven't done anything to deserve it!"

The grand councilwoman looked offended by this remark. "_Haven't done anything?! _Why, you've single-handedly prevented the Kaizaxx from achieving the information they needed to build weapons of mass destruction! You've thrown yourself into the line of fire countless times for the sake of protecting others, and you've helped bring about the downfall of an entire anti-Federation militia! If THAT doesn't deserve a Supernova, then I don't know what does."

For a long moment, Pleakley was speechless. For the first time in three weeks, he allowed himself to remember the details of that fateful night. Though he could see some merit in what she had claimed, he could see other things that could not be denied.

"I could never have done any of those things without help. My mom -" he choked on his next words, then paused a moment before plunging recklessly on. "My mom and Leera were beside me all the way. I was nothing without them, and that's what I am now. _Nothing_."

ZaiLeia growled in annoyance before kneeling down to look him directly in the eye. She put her hands on his shoulders and gripped them tight, and for a second, Pleakley thought she was going to start shaking him.

"Now you listen to me!" she hissed. "You are NOT nothing! You are a hero, and a damn good one, too! And don't you dare question my judgment!" She softened at the terrified look on the Plorginarian's face. She let go of him then, and stood up slowly. "I'm sorry, Mr. Pleakley. I know you've been through a lot recently. As for agents Vay and Leera… how fitting of you to acknowledge them." Her voice took on a very solemn tone as she spoke of the two women. "They did great things for the Federation, and that is why I am awarding them each a Supernova as well."

Pleakley's head snapped up at this announcement. _Did she just say what I thought she just said?_ He opened his mouth to speak, but she had already turned away and was now heading back toward the house. Once she had gone inside, Pleakley collapsed back into the hammock, thinking_. This can't be right. They're dead. _His hearts wrenched painfully at that thought. _And even if, by some miracle, Mom and Leera DID survive, then why haven't I heard from them by now? And the grand councilwoman didn't say anything about them being alive. But what about the Supernovas? She must have meant that she's awarding them posthumously._

A short while later Pleakley was called inside to get ready for the award ceremony. At Nani's insistence, he bathed thoroughly and put on his Federation uniform, freshly ironed. And a good thing he did. A small group of aliens were gathered at the lighthouse, setting up some equipment. When Pleakley was told that the award ceremony was going to be broadcasted live throughout several intergalactic networks, he panicked and tried to back out, but Lilo managed to lure him into a closet and lock him in until the last minute, when he was finally released and then 'escorted' by Jumba and Cobra to the makeshift stage.

When the moment came, Pleakley knelt on knees of jell-o before the grand councilwoman, who spoke in proud and solemn tones to the masses who were watching, both locally and light years away. Pleakley could barely hear her above the roar of a hundred voices arguing inside his head. _What am I doing here? A Supernova? Me? I don't deserve such an honor! This is a mistake! _When he heard his name, the voices fell silent, and he looked up at the councilwoman, who was now holding up a dazzling diamond-laid, platinum medal in the shape of a multi-pointed star.

"On this day, we recognize this man for his most extraordinary accomplishments.

For bravery in actions above and beyond the call of duty, I award you, Wendy Pleakley, the Galactic Federation's highest honor: the Supernova."

Pleakley bowed his head as she slipped the medal around his neck. An uproar of cheers and applause rang out from the small crowd gathered at the lighthouse as he rose to stand. Trembling, he turned to bow to his audience. He was fighting back tears and beaming like the sun as they cheered him. When the crowd quieted, the grand councilwoman continued.

"And now, the Federation wishes to confer this honor upon two other individuals, without whose efforts Agent Pleakley would not be standing here today. For valor most outstanding, I award Vay Pleakley and Leera Analilia each a Supernova."

At the mentioning of those two, Pleakley frowned, looking at the councilwoman like she was insane. He was further confused when he saw that she was now holding up two identical medals, just like his own. He could understand if she meant to award them both Supernovas as a posthumous tribute, but what he could not understand was why she was going about it the way she was. It was as if she were expecting them both to come walking onto the stage to accept their medals. What happened next made Pleakley's jaw hit the ground.

The crowds parted slowly to reveal two figures, walking side by side. As they approached the stage, Pleakley had to pinch himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming. No. He wasn't. Yet there they were, walking toward him, both more beautiful than he could ever remember seeing them, and shining like angels. Vay and Leera both reached him at the same time, and Pleakley, overcome with emotion, collapsed into their arms and cried.


	50. A New Day

CHAPTER FORTY-NINE:  
A NEW DAY

Dawn rose in torrents of gold and pink over the island of Kauai, glowing brightly with the promise of a perfect day. Pleakley opened his eye slowly to the splendor, reveling in its light before rolling over to face the sleeping form of his bride. _This is it. Today is the day. OUR day._ _After all these years, it's finally here. _Smiling, he lifted a hand to her face, brushing her hair back so that he could look upon his sleeping beauty. In the dim light of the morning sun, she glowed with a heavenly aura, like something out of a dream. _How many nights have I spent imagining us together like this? Falling asleep in each other's arms, and waking up to the warmth of each other's presence? We've waited so long…_

Pleakley sighed, wrapping his arms around Leera and pulling her close, thinking about the day that lay ahead. He knew that the time of waiting was over. Fear, pain, and uncertainty were things of the past. So much had happened over the past month: old wounds had been reopened, only to be healed… nightmares had become reality and dreams had come true… the dead had been resurrected and the immortal had finally been destroyed… and a second chance at love and life was theirs for the taking.

Drawn like a magnet, Pleakley brought his lips to hers and kissed her tenderly. Leera made a small noise of contentment and snuggled closer to him. Satisfied, Pleakley closed his eye, smiling. His eye snapped open again when he felt something soft and warm touch his lips. It was Leera, returning his kiss. He gasped and drew back, then chuckled.

"Heh. Good morning," he whispered.

"Mornin,'" she whispered back, cuddling close.

More than satisfied, Pleakley cuddled back, his free hand wandering up and down her side in a teasing caress. Leera shivered slightly, ticklish under his touch, before letting her own hands explore the familiar territory of her lover's person. Purrs and coos escalated to gasps and giggles as the two became lost in a haze of cuddling, kissing, and caressing.

"Would you mind keeping the girly giggles and the pheromone levels to a minimum?" came a disgruntled voice from somewhere nearby. "I'm still trying to sleep off those screwdrivers."

Startled, Pleakley rolled over to face his mother, who was laying on his other side. His eye then drifted past her to the seven other blanketed lumps scattered across the living room floor, all of which were beginning to stir. _Oops. _He'd forgotten they weren't exactly alone in the room.

"Sorry, Vay," Leera said, propping herself up on one elbow to look at her. "Didn't mean to disturb you there."

"I was talking about Wendy," Vay replied flatly, pulling a pillowcase over her head.

Pleakley blushed, then lay back down, staring up at the ceiling, where a splatter of purple poi from the night before was starting to congeal.

"Glad I didn't touch any of the hard liquor last night," he muttered, half to himself. "Wouldn't want to be wasted like Mom on my wedding day!" He said this second part louder and with more emphasis, baiting his mother for a reaction.

"I heard that!" Vay growled, her voice muffled by the pillowcase. "I may have had a few too many, but at least I didn't dance around in a hula skirt with someone else's underwear on my head!"

Pleakley blushed again, then smiled. "Yeah, that was some party last night…"

"SSHHHH!!!" He was shushed by a few other individuals they shared the room with. Sprawled out like a mountain in the center of the floor lay Jumba, clad only in boxer shorts. Draped over his bulbous belly was Stitch, still twitching from last night's fill of coconut coffee. Lilo lay propped against Jumba's massive side, still asleep. Cobra lay on the couch, dressed down from his usual attire in a loud Hawaiian shirt and shorts. In the corner, across the room from the three Plorginarians, lay the grand councilwoman, and beside her, Mackayl. Both were dressed in ill-fitting human apparel. David lay nearby, with one of ZaiLeia's long legs slung over his middle. A fine layer of confetti and grime covered every possible surface in the room.

The previous night's award/victory celebration/happy reunion/bachelor/bachelorette party had been one helluva scene: drunk aliens everywhere and no rules (a fact which had sat surprisingly well with a certain Man in Black, aka Cobra, who had arrived at the party with the intention of keeping it 'low-profile,' but instead had succumbed to the celebration, with a little help from Jack Daniels, of course).As the fun and the general blood/alcohol levels rose, barriers had gone down. 'One thing led to another,' as they say, and only Lilo's erratic snapshots would stand as testimony to those 'things.'

It wasn't long before Nani shuffled in on her way to the kitchen to start the coffee. One glimpse into the living room was enough to make her want to crawl back into bed and pretend that this was all some kind of twisted dream. Already being accustomed to this sort of thing was the only reason she resisted.

"Who wants coffee?" she said loudly, startling the two or three still sleeping awake. "Besides Stitch," she added, as the little monster sprang to life. A chorus of slurred mumbles followed, speaking in unanimous favor for coffee. Clearly seeing that she wasn't the only one with a hangover, she sighed tiredly.

"Guess I'd better drag out the big pot," she muttered, heading into the kitchen. Pleakley got up to help her, but not before giving his sweetheart a kiss and asking her how she took her coffee.

Ten minutes later the house was alive with activity as seven aliens and four humans went about the task of cleaning up the debris of last night's bash, while also getting ready for Pleakley's and Leera's big day. There was a lot of fussing over the bride and groom-to-be as everyone kept pestering them with unsolicited advice and tips to marital bliss. The latter was especially amusing coming from those who had never even been married. Pleakley and Leera, however, both remained steadfast in their belief that they had already found that bliss in each other. Though Earth custom deemed it unlucky for the bride and groom to see each other before the wedding, Plorginarian tradition said nothing of the kind, though it did require some restraint when it came to a few stolen moments of intimacy in the closet, so of course everyone did their part to keep the two preoccupied with other things until it was time for the ceremony.

David inspected himself in the bathroom mirror, noting some dark, bruise-like marks on his neck. He went back into the kitchen, where Nani was fixing breakfast with Pleakley and Vay.

"Did I get lucky last night?" he asked Nani, a hopeful smile on his face.

"Not exactly," she replied, sounding irritable. "Those aren't hickies," she added as she turned away to wipe poi off the counter.

"Then what are they?" he asked, sounding fearful.

"Why don't you go ask your girlfriend over there?" Nani replied in a sarcastic tone, gesturing toward the living room where Cobra, Jumba, Leera, ZaiLeia and Mackayl were conversing.

"Girlfriend? But I don't -" he turned to look out into the living room, then felt the vague sting of an awkward, drink-impaired memory.

"Don't remember, huh? Well, that's convenient!" Nani said wryly, then turned her nose up and stalked off.

More than a little confused, David rubbed his neck, staring at the small crowd in the living room. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Pleakley glaring at him, but when he looked down at the little alien, he had already returned his attention to the stove.

"I didn't hit on your fiancée, did I?" David asked uncomfortably. Pleakley didn't respond. He just stared at the sizzling pan of bacon and eggs, though it looked like he was fighting the urge to explode.

Sensing hostility, David continued. "Look, you gotta understand. I was drunk last night, so I had no idea what I was -"

"Oh, don't worry, Dave. You didn't hit on her," Vay assured him, a wicked grin creeping up on her face. Seeing David's face relax, she snickered. "No, but you _did_ get lucky last night!"

"Really?" he asked, trying to conceal his excitement. "With who?"

This time, Pleakley laughed out loud. Vay elbowed him sharply, then pointed over David's shoulder while trying to stifle her own laughter. David turned to find himself looking up at the grand councilwoman, who towered over him by a good two or three feet.

"Hello, David," she said in a far-too-pleasant tone and smiled at him. David just stared back, his eyes wide with horror. She looked down at the marks on his neck and frowned. "Looks like I left a deeper impression on you than I thought. Sorry about that."

"Y-you did this?" He squeaked, his hand flying up to his neck.

ZaiLeia shrugged. "Well, between the kissing, the biting, and the strangling…"

"…And let's not forget the whole 'hitting-on-everyone-who-hit-on-you' thing," added Mackayl, now entering the kitchen. He smiled smugly at her, and she responded by leaning into him and taking his hand in hers. "And I mean literally."

"I forgot to tell you; I'm a mean drunk." She winked at David before turning to Mackayl.

David left the house minutes later with a newly acquired facial tic and a sudden loss of appetite and did not return until it was time for the wedding.


	51. Ohana Again

CHAPTER FIFTY:  
OHANA AGAIN

It was time. Wendy Pleakley stood at the makeshift altar, anxiously awaiting the arrival of his bride. The waves were calm and the breeze gentle, both conspiring together to play a soothing melody on this perfect day. The ceremony was being held in a small tropical cove not far from the house. Under a canopy of palm fronds and jungle greenery, an outcropping of stone served as an altar. Wendy stood before it on a carpet of moss, all three knees wobbling like noodles in his nervousness.

He watched with an odd feeling of detachment as Lilo, dressed in her hula outfit, paraded down the aisle, sprinkling lotus petals along the way. In a similar ensemble, Stitch followed closely, acting as ring bearer. They were followed by Vay and Nani, the bridesmaids. Both were dressed more formally in flowing lavender and blue dresses. Paired with them were the groomsmen. Jumba and David, suited up in black tuxes and matching lavender and blue cummerbunds, escorted Vay and Nani down the aisle to the altar, where they separated to their respective sides. After Jumba, the best man, and Vay, the maid of honor, had taken their places, a hushed silence fell over the cove as the bride made her debut at the scene.

When Wendy saw her walking down the aisle, his hearts skipped a beat. All the angels in Heaven, both alien and human alike, would surely have coveted the beautiful being that was now walking toward him. When she finally stood beside him, eye twinkling, hair shining like gold as it cascaded down her back, a fragrant, multicolored lei draped around her neck, the white silk of her wedding gown trailing behind her, Wendy's hearts swelled with joy. He turned to face her, taking her hands in his. Tears were already starting in his eye as they stood waiting to say their vows. The grand councilwoman, as a justice of the peace, married them that day.

"Do you, Leera Analilia, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, to love and to cherish, above all others, for more than infinity, and longer than eternity?"

"I do," Leera answered, barely louder than a whisper. The eye she turned on Wendy just then shone brightly with love's undying light, and his own eye reflected that light tenfold as he continued to fight back tears. Before he knew it, ZaiLeia was addressing him with the same question.

"And do you, Wendy Pleakley, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, to love and to cherish, above all others, for more than infinity, and longer than eternity?"

"I do," he answered, just as the tears broke through their barriers and started streaming down his cheeks. Choking down a large sob, he tore his eye away from his bride's and nodded an affirmation. He had to bite his lip to stop it from trembling. Leera's own lip was trembling, too; partly from pent-up laughter at Wendy's behavior, and partly from her own attempt to keep from crying.

The grand councilwoman continued. "Then, by the power vested in me, by the United Galactic Federation and the state of Hawaii on the planet Earth, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Nothing could have prepared either of them for that single most golden moment in their lives. Lost in love, Wendy and Leera succumbed to a whirlwind of passion as they melted into each other's embrace, consumed by a kiss that sealed their future together, and the promise of a perfect new life.

THE END

(Well, not THE end, but more or less. I've been extremely busy lately, and that's why I haven't been able to finish this sooner like I said I would. Please stay tuned for the epilogue and the final author's notes to this story, as I will be wrapping this up properly and tying up all the loose ends. Now would be a great time for everyone to review, as I will gladly answer every review of this chapter individually at the TRUE end of this story, which I will try my darnedest to post on Saturday.)


	52. EPILOGUE

EPILOGUE

"It's even worse when she throws her sandals at you. That's when you know you've really crossed the line. More tea?"

"Yes, thanks."

"HONEY! COULDJA MAKE ANOTHER POT OF TEA?"

"You're such a loving husband," Vay said with mock sweetness. "Why don't _you _get up and do it?"

"She wants to do everything herself," Wendy replied. "And I mean _everything_. Last week she went out experiment hunting with Lilo and Stitch and caught three experiments all by herself. She was covered in scratches, mud, feathers and God knows what else by the time she came home. And she wasn't the least bit exhausted."

"That's pretty impressive for someone in her condition, but I think you should be more insistent on handling all the physical work around the house. She really ought to take it easy."

Wendy looked at his mother incredulously. "Are you kidding? If I so much as try to lend a hand, she bites my head off. The last time I did her laundry, she chucked a sandal at me! Talk about touchy! Must be all the hormones."

Vay nodded sagely, an odd smirk on her face as she appeared to be looking past Wendy at something behind him. Following her gaze, Wendy turned and found himself face to face with Leera, who had just entered the living room carrying a large, steaming teapot. Wendy smiled weakly at her and held his hands out.

"Oh, thanks, hun. I'll take that."

Returning his smile, Leera leaned forward and handed him the pot. With clearly exaggerated clumsiness, she leaned too far and began to stumble, then righted herself just in time. A drop or two of hot water leaped from the spout and landed in Wendy's lap. Wendy screamed in agony while Leera set the teapot on the table.

"Oh, honey, I'm sorry!" she whined, throwing her arms around him. Wendy sensed the insincerity in her words and said "Th-that's okay, love. After all, it was just an accident. _Right_?" He said this last word with an emphasis that made Leera blush, then grin fiercely at her husband.

"When in doubt, just blame the hormones!" she told him, giving him a look that both teased and threatened at the same time. She sat down next to him on the sofa and leaned against him expectantly. Wendy hesitated a moment before wrapping an arm around her and pecking her on the cheek. Crestfallen by this lackluster show of affection, Leera turned with lightning-quick reflexes, threw her arms around him and pulled him close, kissing him full on the mouth.

Wendy squirmed out of her hold and gasped for air. "Leera! Not in front of Mom!"

Vay laughed heartily. "Oh, don't mind me! Just pretend I'm not here!"

"Moooommmm," Wendy grumbled. "Don't encourage her!"

But Leera was already moving in for another kiss. At that moment, and to Wendy's huge relief, Lilo and Stitch came bursting in through the front door. Just home from school, Lilo flung her backpack aside and wasted no time lunging on Leera. She hugged her tightly around the middle, and Leera returned the hug.

"Careful, now, Lilo!" Wendy scolded, putting a hand on the girl's shoulder. "You're gonna squish the baby if you keep squeezing her like that!"

Lilo loosened her hold and then finally let go.

"But there's nothing in there to squish yet!" she exclaimed, looking at the obvious bulge in Leera's abdomen.

"Oh, yes there is!" Wendy argued. "It may not be very big yet, but it's in there alright!"

Lilo looked at Leera curiously. "Are you sure you haven't just put on a few pounds?"

"I'm positive," Leera replied, smiling. "In fact, I can feel the baby kicking as we speak."

Lilo's eyes grew wide with astonishment. "You can?"

Leera patted her belly fondly. "Yep. Feel for yourself." Taking the little girl's hand, she guided it to the precise spot and held it firmly in place. When Lilo felt it kick, she gasped, then giggled.

"I bet he's gonna be a real good soccer player. Or a donkey. Come feel this, Stitch! It's weird! And by that I mean cool," she added, grinning up at Leera.

Stitch rolled over to them and stood up, staring at Leera's middle with wide puppy dog eyes.

"C'mon, feel!" Lilo urged. When he was close enough, she grabbed his paw and put it in the same spot her own hand had been a moment before. Stitch waited for nearly a minute, but felt nothing. He quickly grew bored with waiting and started to poke Leera's belly, hoping for a reaction from within.

"Hey!" Wendy yelled, swatting Stitch's paw. "No poking the wife!"

Far from annoyed, Leera giggled a little at each poke, being rather ticklish in that particular spot. When the baby finally kicked again, she gasped.

"Feels like someone wants to come out early and return your pokes!" she told Stitch, directing his paw to the right place so he could feel. Sensing the chaotic movements of the baby within, Stitch's ears shot up and his eyes widened with keen interest.

"Ooooooooooohhhhhhh!" he said, fascinated by what he felt.

"How much longer till the baby's born?" Lilo asked.

"Hmmm. 'Bout another Earth month, I'd say," Leera replied.

"What's it gonna be? A boy or a girl?"

"We won't know that till it's born."

"But you could always find out…" Lilo suggested. Leera smiled.

"True, but we'd like it to be a surprise. Right, Wendy?"

At this, Wendy put an arm around his wife and drew her close, then put his other hand on her belly and rubbed it affectionately.

"That's right!"

"Buuut, aren't you worried it's gonna turn out to be some kinda mutant? Or twins? Or both? Or what if it's not a boy _or_ a girl? What if it's an _it_? Or what if it's both a boy _and_ a girl? You know, like a hermaphro-daffy-whatchamacallit?"

Wendy looked at the little girl in shock. "You mean a hermaphrodite?"

Lilo nodded.

"Now where'd you learn that word?"

"I heard Jumba call you that. He said it meant you were _gender-confused_, or something."

Wendy blushed a little, then waved his hand dismissively and laughed. "Oh, I get it! You mean a transvestite! Yeah, Jumba just likes to poke fun at me for wearing women's clothing. Personally, I think he's just jealous 'cuz I'm much prettier than _he_ is in a dress." He glanced sideways at Leera, who was giving him a suspicious look, and added, "But not nearly as pretty as _you_, of course!"

Lilo smirked. "No, I'm pretty sure he said 'hermaphrodite.' That means you're both a boy _and_ a girl, doesn't it?"

"Well, yes, but I'm pretty sure there's no feminine side to me, besides the whole dress-wearing thing. And watching soap operas. And taking long, luxurious bubble baths by candlelight."

"Not to mention crying every time you find a tangle in one of your wigs!" Leera teased.

"So you're not worried your kids are gonna turn out like that?" Lilo asked, looking back and forth at the two Plorginarians.

Leera smiled and leaned her head on her husband's shoulder. "Well, with Wendy as the father, you never know." She patted her stomach again. "Whatever it is, it ought to be a pleasant surprise."

"I thought you said you hated surprises," Lilo said, looking at Wendy suspiciously. "Especially after all the stuff you went through with those Kaizaxx dummies."

Wendy simply shrugged, his arms still wrapped around his wife. "Life's full of surprises," he said. "You can't avoid them. Believe me, I've tried. They may not always be _good _surprises, but that's life. All you can do is roll out the welcome mat and be ready for the next one. Of course, you don't always have to welcome new surprises, but you definitely need to know how to deal with them when they arrive. Like a certain _little monster _we all know!"

His last words caught the attention of Stitch, who quickly pulled his head out from under Wendy's dress and stood up. Wendy frowned down at him, though it looked like he was fighting the urge to laugh.

Stitch gave a big toothy grin and said, "Ih! Chakuuta na gala neega! Zizi blat!"

Lilo rolled her eyes and sighed. "If you say so."

THE _REAL_ END

AUTHOR'S NOTES

Well, it's been one helluva journey, and now that the end is here, I'm speechless. I know how you all feel now when you said you didn't want to see it end so soon, although this is probably the longest L&S fic on FFN. Last time I checked, it was, but that was several months ago. I must admit, I never thought I'd be able to entertain anyone with my story. It was just something I wanted to write, to entertain myself.

I was quite surprised by the size of my audience in the end, although I know there are probably a lot more than have been giving reviews. I myself rarely give reviews, if at all. Ashamed of that fact, and knowing for myself how good it feels to get a review, I hereby vow to review every fic I read from now on.

Thank you all for reading, and I hope you've all enjoyed "Pleakley's Story" as much as I've enjoyed writing it. And to those who have been faithful in giving me their constant reviews, XOXOXOXOXO and mahalo plenty.

To be honest, I had no idea where I was going with this for most of the time I was writing it. That probably explains all the glaring mistakes sprinkled throughout the story and my hideous formatting style in the first several chapters. Hopefully I will find the time and energy to go back and fix them someday.

As for future fics, I do plan and sincerely hope to write more, especially about my favorite character, Pleakley. Of course, I also intend to finish some of my other fics, such as "The Viewmaster." As for "Jumba's Story," I don't know. For now I am putting it on hold.

I have a few ideas for some L&S stories (most of which will be much shorter than "Pleakley's Story"), though none of them really involve Vay or Leera. I know a lot of you like my fan characters, and I would be more than happy to continue writing about them, so if you'd like to see them again, and if you have any ideas for a fic involving them, please let me know, and I'll see what I can do.

I would also like to remind my readers that fan art for "Pleakley's Story" and "The Viewmaster" is still available upon request. Please email me at if you would like to see them. I have pics of Vay, Leera, Le'Kruune, Taisiya (grand councilwoman's daughter) and more pics of Vay with Wendy as a baby. Super cute!

And now, a note of interest to all my faithful readers and fans… I apologize for some of my shoddy work as of late, and for all the delays in updating my stories. There's a reason for that. Don't expect to hear much from me for the next month or two, because I am putting my fanfic career on hold in order to pursue my _true_ writing career as a published author. Having just had my _second_ book accepted for publication, I am now stretched to my limits trying to meet a submission deadline of September 1st. Though my book is technically finished, I am currently in the middle of final-drafting and editing, as well as adding some brand new stuff to the storyline. Though I usually work well under stress, I may very well be at my wit's end by the time my manuscript is shipped off to the publisher.

That's also why "Pleakley's Story" ended so abruptly, and with all those glaring mistakes and loopholes. Still, I wanted to wrap it up thoroughly before continuing with the fantasy novel I'm publishing. You know what they say: "Finish what you start," and "Never start one thing until you finish another." The latter doesn't necessarily hold true for writers. In fact, that rule is broken a lot more than it is adhered to, and with good reason. I myself am in the middle of several different writing projects, all of which I started at different times. When I get stumped on one of them, I can simply move on to the next.

Since I forced myself to finish "Pleakley's Story" before undertaking the task of finalizing my manuscript for my publisher, I feel a sense of satisfaction and completion. No matter what they say, it really does feel a lot better to finish one thing before starting on another.

As for my L&S writing, I definitely plan to be back at it this fall, if not sooner. And to all of you who are wondering… yes, there WILL be a sequel to "Pleakley's Story." I think you can all guess from the epilogue where I'll be going with it. However, there will be plenty of surprises as well. I don't plan to make it nearly as long as "Pleakley's Story," but then, I didn't plan to make "Pleakley's Story" as long as it turned out to be. I can't say when I will start on it, since I am now very busy with my second book deal, but I hope to have it up and running by early September.

****

AND NOW TO ANSWER THE REVIEWS.

Bluefox: Thank you so much for reading, and I'm glad you enjoyed it. As for that sssssexy Captain Gantu, aka Mr. Universe… haven't seen 'im around lately, but next time I do I'll be sure to include him one of my stories, and I promise I'll give him a more dignified role than he had in "Mustard!"

Tortured Artist: Thank you for reading, and I'm glad you enjoyed it. As for your questions… I realize I left more than a few little inconsistencies throughout the story, and what happened to Leera and Vay was one of them. I was going to explain how they escaped Le'Kruune's ship, but stupidly enough, I kept either forgetting or putting it off. I plan to go back and do some editing throughout the entire story, but for now, please accept the crappy explanation that they were able to get into an escape pod at the last second and blast off, crash-landing on some desert planet where it took them a few weeks to find the help and resources needed to come to Earth to see Wendy. In answer to your second question, yes, I _will_ finish "The Viewmaster." I've been wanting to very badly, but between a terminal case of writer's block and various other things, I just haven't gotten around to it yet. And in answer to your third question, yes, I think there _will_ be more stories with Vay and Pleakley in them. And not just the sequel. Pleakley is still my favorite L&S character, and I have enjoyed writing about him and my fan character version of his mother, Vay. Judging from past reviews of "Pleakley's Story" and "The Viewmaster," I take it she is rather highly-rated among L&S fan characters.

Peacepop: Glad you liked "Pleakley's Story" and thanx for R&Ring. In answer to your questions, and to reiterate - yes, there shall be more in the future about Wendy, Vay and Leera and the others. I'm not exactly sure just yet, beyond the sequel, but I definitely want to write more about them. As for other L&S related things I'm working on… I'd prefer not to tell right here and now. Not because I want it to be a surprise, but… well, maybe partly because of that, but mostly because a brief paragraph describing my next fic idea would never do it justice, and will probably sound stupider than the story really is. If you would still like to know what I've got in mind, email me and I'll let you know.

Sunrise19: Thank you for taking the time to read my story, and I'm glad you found it entertaining. I don't know about Nani and David getting married. It certainly would not be something I would really focus my writing on, but it could happen. I'm really not much of a Nani fan. In fact, I hate the way the series portrays her as a nagging, unloving b---- who doesn't seem to give a damn whether the aliens live or die. If I write any more about her, there's going to be some big changes in her attitude. If I were her, I would be so happy and grateful to have such a unique family. But that's just me, and I'm a lot more like Lilo than Nani, anyway. I can relate to her SO much better. In fact, I myself spent five years in foster care, but Lilo was very lucky that she didn't have to. But I digress. As for Pleakley becoming a dad… I think we all know the answer to that one now!


End file.
